Your Heart
by NineSoul
Summary: Modern AU. He had a normal, almost boring life; friends, school, job. Routine and regular were two words to describe his day-to-day. But, something always has to change that. Always. Only, it seems like just a faerie-tale. Demon!Zoro. Eventual ZoSan. CURRENTLY EDITING FIRST FEW CHAPTERS.
1. Du bist zum greifen nah

**Gyaaah! OMGosh! I had to write this! I know I have a sequel to work on, and an on-going story to finish, but, this couldn't wait! It's multiple chapter again, soo... Well, I was inspired to do this when I listened to the song 'Dein Herz', or, 'Your Heart' by Damien Dawn.**

**Enjoy!**

**EDIT: The chapter title roughly translates to "You are within reach." Also, revamped (HA) the chapter a bit as of 6/23/13. ;)**

"'Sometimes, it takes the smallest things to start a chain reaction beyond control. Sometimes, the people faced with that chain reaction are not deserving, whether of cruelty or miracle. Sometimes, they are not human...

"'In our world, there are many unholy things,'" Sanji read aloud. He looked up to his two quivering friends and raised his eyebrows. "Where did you get this old thing?" he asked, holding up the delicate yellowed pages bound together by a fraying ribbon.

"You have to keep reading it, Sanji!" Luffy said, pulling the pitiful book open to a certain page. The words were hand-written, a sloppy though classic italic cursive, and mostly read like they were written in the old centuries. Which Sanji would be easily convinced of.

The blond eyed his friends, before pulling his gaze back down to the tiny flourished letters and reading aloud once more; "'I've come across monsters, demons, if you'll believe. Evil creatures, blood thirsty, each with a taste for different flesh,'" Sanji paused when Usopp yelped and hid behind Luffy, who laughed and told his friend it was just a fairytale. "'They crave humans, as they have succeeded in being what no demon could ever be; pure.'"

Sanji snorted, closing the book and placing it softly on the table, though it still let out some dust. "I don't know what the hell kinda shit this guy was smoking, but this is just idiotic," Sanji told them, leaning back in his chair.

Luffy let out a goofy laugh, but Usopp frowned, offended. The longnose leaned forward, elbows on the table. "What do you mean? This isn't fiction; this is an honest-to-God journal!" Usopp defended, though he himself seemed to hope it was only fiction.

"It's cool, right, Sanji?" Luffy asked, sliding the book across the table to his own seat. "Me and Usopp just found it buried in a-!"

"Luffy! Shut up!" Usopp clapped a hand over his friend's mouth, holding the back of his head with the other. He laughed nervously, watching Sanji. "It was just in a dusty corner in the back of the library!"

Sanji raised a curly eyebrow, smirking at his friends. "You and Luffy were in the library?" he asked, briefly narrowing his eyes at the two. They were never ones for proper studying. Luffy, because he's an idiot, and Usopp because he got good grades without studying. Or so he said. In any case, Sanji couldn't picture the two of them browsing titles in an ancient section of the library.

Luffy wrenched Usopp's hand from his face and spouted the words before Usopp's lalalaing could do any good; "We dug it up from the graveyard!"

"You did _what_?" Sanji, assisted by a much more feminine voice off to his right, questioned loudly. They all turned their attention to the redhead who was glaring them down, hands on her hips, leg locked dangerously. "Nami-san!" Sanji greeted, standing from his seat and walking over to her. "As lovely as ever, Madame~!"

"Lovely like a banshee..." Usopp mumbled in the background. No one could react before Nami had pitched an encyclopedia at his head.

"Usopp!" Luffy knelt beside his unconscious friend on the floor, pulling at his abnormal nose to try and wake him. "You're so mean!" Luffy accused Nami, shaking the sleeping longnose by his shoulders and subsequently knocking his head against the cold tile floor.

Nami just scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I may be mean, but _you_ are felons!" she said sharply, pointing a well-manicured finger at Luffy and Usopp as a whole.

"Now, Nami-san, they can't possibly have dug that thing up. From anywhere, let alone a graveyard," Sanji reasoned, leading Nami by the hand over to the book that had been discarded unintentionally during the commotion. He picked it up off the edge of the table and offered it to Nami. "See? This couldn't pass for having been buried," Sanji pointed out.

Nami examined the front page that crinkled under her touch. "You're right, I guess. We should get Robin to take a look at this," Nami decided, nodding. Sanji agreed fervently, looking forward to his future encounter with the lovely Nico Robin.

"Cool!" Luffy shouted, excitedly. "Should I get the trunk and the other things?"

Nami and Sanji looked at him. "Trunk?" Nami asked. "Like, buried chest kind of trunk?" Currency appeared in her eyes as she looked down at the book in her hands. She swept her fingers over a dust-covered section of the first page and squinted at the lettering she uncovered. "Journal of Gol D. Roger?" she questioned.

Sanji leaned over Nami's shoulder and read the line she pointed to. "That's what it looks like," he said, nodding. "That's odd. I could swear I've heard that name before."

"I know him!"

Again, attention was drawn to Luffy. "What do you mean you know him?" Nami asked.

Luffy shrugged, grinning his signature grin. "I learned about him in History class! He was so cool!" Luffy announced, standing from the floor where the forgotten Usopp stirred.

"Woah, woah, woah, wait!" Sanji said, holding up his hands. "You're telling me that you actually retained some helpful knowledge? From school? From a class you called boring?"

Luffy nodded in response.

"Unbelievable." Nami gawked. "Who is he? A Prince? Better yet, a King? A loaded author? Anybody famous?" she questioned ferociously, taking a step closer to Luffy with each of her rapid-fire inquiries.

The straw hat-wearing boy laughed at Nami's eager disposition and shook his head. "A quack," he said, smiling brighter, if possible.

Nami's jaw hit the floor. "B-but, he's at least a rich quack, right?"

Luffy shook his head again. "Actually, I don't know. He was a ruthless thief, from what I heard. He was supposed to be pretty famous and really powerful!" Luffy ranted, straightening his hat on his head. "Robin said he was called crazy by everybody because he was really ambitious, whatever that means."

"Ambitious about what?" Sanji asked. He had to admit he was getting kind of curious about this supposed quack. Nami had lost all interest, of course, because Luffy hadn't said the words "rich," "beli," or anything relating.

"I don't know," Luffy said, shrugging. He tilted his head to the side and frowned, creating his "I R thinking" face. "He did some pretty awesome stuff, though," Luffy mumbled, tapping a finger to his chin. Sanji figured they would be there for a while if they left Luffy to thinking for very long. In any case, they were hanging out in a business establishment that was about to open for lunch; an establishment which Sanji happened to work at.

"Are you guys gonna stay for lunch?" Sanji asked, bowing to Nami and then heading off towards the counter slash bar that took up the length of the wall.

"Of course. As long as there's a friend discount?" Nami smiled in a seductive, devilish way. The same way she always did when there was the slightest chance she could save or earn money. Of course, Sanji fell for that smile every time it made an appearance, especially when it was aimed at him.

The moment Sanji agreed to give a discount, Luffy was jumping up and down, clapping. "Yeah! Foooood! Sanji, I want meat!" Luffy shouted.

Usopp sat upright. "It's lunch time already?" he asked, sounding perfectly well and wake.

Sanji started taking chairs off of the well-crafted wooden tables and placing them on the floor, just as staff members started showing up here and there. He greeted a few of his fellow chefs and directed the waiters to wipe down the tables before they opened for the day.

For the most part, his friends were watching him work, but after a minute, Nami sighed. "Now-" She turned towards Usopp and Luffy, who had reset themselves at their table. "What was this about digging in the graveyard?"

oOo

The lunch rush had come and gone, leaving the staff of the Baratie confused and relieved. They were always strangely busy during mid-day, despite the size and population of the town the restaurant was settled in. There were much bigger and nicer-looking restaurants around, but half the people seemed to prefer the Baratie for their lunch breaks and dinner outings. Perhaps that was why Sanji was always tired.

Then again, there were many contributing factors in Sanji's daily exhaustion, a version of which he was beginning to feel already. He had school five days a week and the dinner shift after that, except for Friday. He works every possible shift on the weekends unless the shifts get rearranged. Of course he cooks for his friends whenever they ask him to and hangs out with them whenever he's free. His dad doesn't clean a thing in their living quarters upstairs from the restaurant, so he ends up doing all the chores. All in all, Sanji had a shitload of things to do. Never a dull moment, as they say.

"Sanji-kun! We're all headed over to that new tourist-trap," Nami announced, waving at Sanji as he pushed through the doors into the kitchen.

A minute later, Sanji was standing behind the window to the kitchen, above the liquor bottles. "Have fun~! I'll call you if I can make it!" Sanji waved, smiling brightly at Nami as she sighed. She led the other two out the door, sparing another wave at Sanji before disappearing to the left of the glass double-doors.

"You better be there, Sanji!" Luffy called, as he hurried after Nami.

Sanji laughed, glad that his friends still wanted to hang out with him after all the work he'd been doing. He was sure he would have stopped being so enthusiastic if he'd been neglected by a friend for work as long as he'd been neglecting them. It was all an accident, of course. He did want to be around them, especially Nami-san. _But_, Sanji thought as he was called back into the kitchen, _that's not something easily accomplished when your dad is a hard-ass restaurant owner_.

Zeff was merciless the moment Sanji proclaimed himself an adult. Well, he'd been merciless anyway, but when Sanji said he wanted to be taken seriously, Zeff took it to a whole new level. Of course, as tiring as it was, Sanji was one of the most respected chefs in the restaurant, second only to Zeff, and he was certainly a very talked-about chef island-wide. It was a small island, so many people told him, bitterly, that it was no big feat to be recognized. Sanji often wondered if they were right, if he was more insignificant than he was originally led to believe. He didn't tell his friends about that stupid, stupid concern of his. He didn't want Nami's "why the hell would you think that?" or Usopp's "your food is the best, Sanji!" or Luffy's "who said that? I'll kick their ass!". No matter how flattering it might be, Sanji didn't want people close to him to say he was the best. He wanted to hear it from a total stranger. A gorgeous, voluptuous stranger, with no boyfriend and a taste for fine cuisine. Oh, indeed, that was what Sanji wanted.

Weaving around behind other shouting, angry chefs, Sanji barely had any time to think about getting off work. He didn't know how much time was passing, though it seemed to fly by while working in the kitchen. After starting work at eleven in the morning, Sanji's break came at five, and he had an hour to do as he pleased. Usually he had a little snack and took a nap, maybe phoned his friends. Today, he thought, he'd go see a new tourist-trap. That is, if Nami, Usopp and Luffy stayed that long.

He would undoubtedly call them at five and figure out what they were doing. It was no fun to spend his break completely alone. He did enjoy when some, perhaps lonely-looking, beautiful women were dining when he went on break. But, those occasions were few and far between, much to Sanji's dismay.

The day wore into eve without slow, and Sanji had to be told to go on break because he'd been so absorbed in his artful work. That was good for keeping up with business, of course, but by the time Sanji had realized he wanted to call Nami, the clock read five thirty-two, and he was pretty sure no one would stay at the same tourist-trap for six hours. Though, if anyone could do it, Luffy could.

Sanji shook his head, relaxing into the couch in the upstairs apartment of the Baratie. _I'll hang out with them some other time,_ Sanji thought, stretching out and closing his eyes. He felt bad for missing another perfect Sunday with his lovely Nami-swan, but not bad enough that he couldn't nap.

oOo

He watched closely as all the people passed his shrine, taking pictures, reading the historical facts off the map, saying the occasional prayer. He hadn't expected any visitors, but that didn't stop them the last couple of weeks. He'd heard them all talk, and that's how he knew it had been over a decade since his last visitor. They used strange words, odd speech patterns, some of which he'd picked up in the short period of time modern people had been visiting his shrine.

He was not particularly ecstatic that a path had been trampled in his perfect, lush grass, but he did like seeing the people in their individual states of awe and small children saying goofy prayers for only his shrine to hear. The teenaged crowd, however, was not one he favored. They were rude, loud, obnoxious, and had a complete lack of culture. Oh, yes, he wouldn't care if the teenaged population decided he was too boring to visit.

The shrine had stood for hundreds of years, occasionally earning a flow of visitors, and not one person in that time did he hate quite so much as modern-day teenagers. A crude species, he deemed them. Some days he even contemplated _leaving_ his shrine to get away from them. _Leaving._ He knew he couldn't do that; the others wouldn't allow it. Not that he cared what the others would allow. He was his own man; he could do what he wanted. It just so happened that he felt cooperative for the last few decades, staying put like a good little boy.

Actually, he thought it was about time he go out for a walk, stretch his legs. Something that would subtly piss the others off. And even though it sounded simple, a walk would do just that. Especially if he walked with the humans, in their own territory. That would drive the others to the brink of insanity, he knew. But they wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.

Smiling at the thought, he slipped off as a shadow in the trees, running along behind the shrine and around the people. He couldn't meet with them yet. He'd have to build up a speech pattern similar to that of a modern-day adult human. Learning the technology might also help him. In fact, it would. He'd seen many of the humans with flashy devices, which he decided were evil, and noisy beeping devices, small ones, shiny little things that seemed to attach to the side of one's face.

He had quite a challenge ahead of him, but it was nothing the world's greatest swordsman couldn't handle...


	2. Mein Leben

**Ahh, okay, a couple things I have to say before we start this chapter; 1, I **_**totally**_** forgot to put Chopper in, so I'm going to be rearranging a bit. 2, wasn't that a quick update? I mean, it's only been like 2 days! And C, I hope you enjoy!**

**EDIT: Revamped as of 6/30/13. ;) The chapter title means (roughly), "My life." I don't know how any number of you stuck with me through the awfully rough pile of crap this story was before, but wading through it all and correcting a ton, I have a new appreciation for your perserverance. ;)**

With a sigh, Sanji flopped down onto his bed. He'd finished cleaning up the restaurant with the last of the night-owl staff and he'd done his chores, every little finite picking-point the old man might have to harp on. It was well-past midnight, he knew, and he was overdue for sleep.

It had been a good week and a half since he heard about that new tourist-trap, and he still hadn't gone to see it. He hadn't gone anywhere, actually, outside of school and work, which was also home. Sanji started thinking early the week before that his life was boring and too eventful, all at once. It was a very contradictory way to put it, but that was how he felt, and that could not be changed. At least, not easily.

Maybe all he needed was a boost. Sanji didn't know. He was unhappy, and it made him more unhappy when he thought of how spoiled he was. Couldn't he just be content? Take a day to himself and just laugh?

Sanji pushed himself up on his palms, an epiphany reaching him. That was exactly what he should do. Take a day off and go see a damn overrated shrine. Yeah, that's what he needed to do. He could probably even get Robin to go with him, if she hadn't already gone. He couldn't get any of his friends to go with him to a place they'd visited the day before, so Robin was his last chance unless he invited Vivi. But, that would involve Vivi asking if her boyfriend, Kohza, could go too, and Sanji didn't like him much. Nothing personal, really, Sanji just didn't like that Kohza was dating Vivi.

The blond sighed, letting himself drop face-first into his pillow. He really didn't want to end up going alone. It would probably make him feel worse about his whole situation, if there, in fact, _was_ a situation. He felt like he was being a little dramatic, perhaps even queenish, but he didn't know what he could do about it.

Surely, visiting a shrine wouldn't fix anything, but taking time away from work on some random Wednesday was only necessary to keep one's sanity. Sanji furrowed his eyebrows at that thought. Wednesday seemed an odd time to just take off and explore. After a moment of deliberating between jumping the gun or waiting, Sanji shrugged. Wednesday sounded good, on second thought. If Zeff didn't like, he could fucking deal with it.

_Okay, no more thinking about it. If I think anymore, I'll convince myself not to go,_ Sanji thought, mussing his hair furiously. He would have to fix the epic bed head he'd undoubtedly created, but he felt like being daring. Having messy hair would classify as daring. For Sanji at least.

With one final good-measure flop on his bed, Sanji reached out and tapped the base of his touch lamp. It got brighter twice before it finally cut off, causing the last thought going through Sanji's head before he passed out to be an expression of hatred towards touch lamps.

oOo

Sanji stretched the sleep out of his muscles for the umpteenth time, earning a snap crackle and pop from his back. He sighed in contentment at the relief that brought him and focused a bit more on what Luffy was blabbing to him about.

"-and Robin said that he was telling the truth! I didn't know Usopp could do that!" Luffy raved, laughing when the longnose punched his arm in mock offense.

Sanji gawked. "Do you even know what truth _means_, Usopp?" he asked over-dramatically, just to piss him off.

"Hey! I happen to have a great experience in telling the truth! Like, one time, I was on an island against an army of giant lie-detecting dolphins, and I was like 'I'll kick all your flippered asses!' and they didn't detect a lie! I beat them all up, and that's a true story!"

"And, one time," Sanji said, mocking Usopp's voice and posture, "I out-witted and assassinated a group of super ninjas with nothing but my pure awesomeness and a banana!"

Luffy and Sanji were practically rolling on the floor with laughter. And they probably would have been if there hadn't been a trampling crowd of their fellow students heading to their next classes as demanded by the shrill bell.

The three of them all had seperate classes at that particular moment, so they parted ways, Luffy and Sanji still laughing their asses off, and Usopp fuming. Certainly the majority of the student body were disturbed by the constant ruckus that particular group caused, but Sanji didn't notice, nor did he care. He and his friends were having a good time, trying to stomp out the mundane.

All during class, Sanji couldn't help but grin randomly. Nami had asked him what his plans were earlier and he told her that he was planning on going to the shrine. Of course he'd been ecstatic that she'd even asked, but when she said she'd be going with him, Sanji was over the moon.

He still paid enough attention to what was being taught not to let his grades slip, but he didn't stop himself when his mind started to get creative about why Nami would possibly want to go with him. Well, not creative so much as hopeful. He could cross his fingers all he wanted, but chances were Nami just wanted to bring him along because she was planning to go shopping and needed someone to carry her bags.

_So much for hopeful,_ Sanji thought, sighing. He knew Nami wasn't going to do anything drastic like throw herself at him, but he still kept trying to keep the little hope-balloon afloat right up until the final bell.

Said final bell was like angels singing, the sounds of heaven, to Sanji, despite the fact that it chilled his spine and made him cringe at the same time. Honestly, it was probably equivalent to nails on a chalkboard, but it brought good things, so Sanji pushed past the sound.

Like every other day, the noisy masses piled out of the building, bumping into each other and whining about homework, or bragging about a tiny silver-lining that might be in the clouds for them. That was the worst part of the day, in Sanji's opinion, because the usual noise of his peers was multiplied by ten, and it felt like they were grating his brain with the rustiest tool they could find. He would tough it out though, he decided, because he had to be perfectly patient and polite while he and Nami were out.

Sanji almost giggled. It sounded in his mind like they were going on a date, which might well be true. He knew it wasn't, but he was still holding on to the flatulating balloon that used to contain his daily hopes.

"Sanji-kun! Are we going straight there, or do you have any place you wanna stop?" Nami asked, walking along beside Sanji after having appeared out of the crowd.

Sanji smiled down at her. "No. But, if there's any place you'd like to stop, my Lovely?" Sanji gestured for her to lead the way, bowing slightly. He knew the way to the shrine, but he didn't know if that was the way Nami wanted to go. Better to let her have her way from the start, that much he had learned from past experience.

She shook her red head, smiling a devious smile. She had him in the palm of her hand, after all. "Thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami said, lightly. She passed him, walking leisurely along the sidewalk, swaying her hips a bit more than necessary, just in case she decided not to spend her own money later on.

Sanji practically tripped on every step he took, watching Nami walk. He had to find a way to get Nami to go out with him. The other seventy-three thousand times he told himself that didn't count anymore. It was him and Nami, and yes, it was happening.

"You know, Sanji-kun," Nami began, planting a hand on one of her swinging hips. "I was wondering if you could help me out."

The blond nodded eagerly. "Anything for you, my extravagant flower~!" Sanji agreed, taking a burst of energy and using it to catch up with Nami and walk beside her, fawning. The redhead snickered behind a sneaky hand, and smiled at Sanji.

"I need some new clothes. I've got a few important meetings later in the month, and I have just _nothing_ to wear!" Nami said, gesturing her 'nothing' by shrugging with her hands. She put on a very obvious, very fake pout, and just like that, they were in and out of every high-priced, high-styled clothing store on their side of Grand Line Square.

As the obliging gentleman that he was, Sanji followed his beautiful Nami-san around holding any and all of her purchases, and even her schoolbag. He was happy to do it, don't get him wrong, but, Sanji was, admittedly, a _little_ tired. Okay, a _lot_ tired. And, he really wanted to see that damn shrine before it got too dark. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be possible, but, he still had his hopes, even if they were burning up as fast as his cigarette.

Eyes widening at the sudden realization, Sanji dropped his cigarette, which was about to burn his hand, and squashed it under his well-polished dress shoe. Nami had gone inside an underwear store, and, despite his burning curiosity, Sanji was still a gentleman, so he opted for waiting outside. Then again, he might have chosen such because he got a glimpse of some of their customers. *Okama. The cashier even looked like an Okama, despite the nametag proclaiming her 'Jill'.

Sanji shivered at the thought of manly women or womanly men. He wasn't opposed to their preferences or anything, he was totally fine with gay people, but, when he looked into a lingerie store, he wanted to see hot women buying thongs, not big hairy men in dresses and heels holding flimsy nightgowns in front of themselves. It was just wrong.

Luckily for Sanji, Nami was creeped out a bit by one of the other people in the store, so she finished quickly. Unluckily, she didn't buy any skimpy underwear that he had hopes of seeing on her in the near future. "Let's go, Sanji-kun! I'm about done shopping now!" Nami said, sounding a little nervous. Sanji knew why; the creepy Okama was still staring at her. They shivered simultaneously as the two of them ventured further down the rapidly darkening street.

Nami glanced up at Sanji every once in a while and the cook noticed her every time. "Is something the matter, Nami-swan? Something you want to tell me?" Sanji asked, politely. Nami bit her lip, fidgeting a little bit as her pace slowed severely.

"Well..." She began, twiddling her thumbs and looking up at Sanji through her long eyelashes. "I was wondering if you... had heard anything else about that stuff the two stooges dug up?" Nami finished quickly, clapping her hands together in a pleading manner.

Sanji sighed, letting his head drop. She'd gotten his hopes up, but, in the end, he knew it would come back to that. Nami had been pestering the 'two stooges' night and day about what all they found and where they put it. But, Usopp was smart enough not to tell Luffy and to tell Nami that he, (Usopp), didn't know where it was. Truly a brilliant plan, except for the part where he told Nami that he gave Sanji a clue to its location. That day, Sanji honestly considered sending Usopp to the hospital.

"Forgive me, my darling, but, I really don't know anything about it. Usopp fibbed and forgot, again."

"Fibbed and forgot?" Nami arched an eyebrow at him.

Sanji nodded, humming. "Yup. We came up with calling it that when Usopp lied about where he hid his lunch, away from Luffy, and then forgot where he did hide it."

"Ohh... Was that why the hallway with our lockers smelled like rotting ass for a week?" Nami nodded to herself, having just pieced together a great and stinky mystery. After a moment of self-agreement, Nami turned back to Sanji. "So, he forgot where he hid possible _treasure_?" She hissed, suddenly.

Like lightning, Nami snatched her purchases away from Sanji and whipped out her cell phone. "I'm going to _kill_ him!" Nami shouted, punching in what Sanji assumed to be Usopp's number. Then, he realized he was just standing there while his lovely Nami-swan was carrying her own bags. He rushed after her, reaching for the bag handles that were held in the crook of Nami's elbow. "Please, allow me to hel-!"

Nami held up a hand to silence him and to bat away his efforts at assisting her. "Hello, Luffy?... Yeah, okay, whatever, is Usopp there?... Good! Keep him there until I get there!" Nami hung up on Luffy, and snapped her head up to look at Sanji. Her expression was that of the cat while she was planning to eat the canary, Sanji imagined. A very fitting expression, and pretty sexy in his opinion.

"I'm going to go pay our friends a visit, so, you can go to that shrine or whatever now." Nami said, waving as she walked briskly towards the direction of the nearest bus station. Sanji followed her across the street. "W-well, do you need help with your-?"

"No thanks, I've got it." Nami called over her shoulder, leaving Sanji in her dust. _I guess it's safe to say she's pissed..._ Sanji thought, silently pitying Usopp. Well, and Luffy, too, because he'd be the innocent party that got conked out by Nami's fist or something.

Sanji sighed, looking around. He didn't know that part of town so well, but, he did know that it wasn't far from where he was supposed to be. Of course, he wasn't sure if he still wanted to be where he was supposed to be, but, he'd gotten so close. Too close to give in just because the sun was setting.

He was almost back at his shrine, since it was almost dark. During the daylight hours he'd visited the humans, learned what he could from them, and he was exhausted. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it if he stayed around humans all the time, but, he didn't have to handle it just then. He knew people didn't like visiting wooded areas, such as the location of his shrine, during the night; therefore, he could get some fucking peace.

He sighed to himself. He had picked up some vulgar words in the city, and he didn't know if human profanities worked the same for his kind, but, it better conveyed his feelings. Yep. _Fucking_ annoyed. Humans were so whiney and loud all the time! He wondered how they could even like each other a little bit.

It seemed quite an impossible thing to him, but, he had seen for himself that most people got along with the people around them. Some humans had particular things that they hated, and some had no qualifications, just loathing.

The shrine was only a few trees away, but, he stopped dead in his tracks. Someone was there still. He couldn't very well sneak back into his shrine if somebody was there. Unless they were one of the impaired ones, without vision or without hearing. Those had been very pitiable humans.

Creeping closer, he decided that he had to know what brave soul would visit him when the sun was minutes from no longer helpful. He, of course, could see just fine in the dark, so, he could see every detail of the person standing in front of his shrine. It wasn't every day that he saw someone so unique, though, as his current visitor.

The visitor had striking yellow hair, styled rather smoothly compared to others' he'd seen, that covered his left eye. That wasn't strange to him. He'd seen some very out-there hairstyles. On this man, though, his hair was not his strangest feature. Put aside the fact that he was wearing a suit, and smoking a very unpleasant-smelling stick, and immaculately built for a human of modern times, oh no, none of those could compare in his eyes. That man, his visitor, had a _curly eyebrow_.

***Okama - Crossdresser. Not gay, certainly not for sure, but it seems to me a common connection to make.**

**Cool, huh? I'll have another one done and out soon! ^^**

**What do you think is gonna happen? Review and tell me all about it!**


	3. Gemeinsam Alleine

_**Hiyas! Sorry it took so long! I'm working on two other stories, one of which I planned to have done by Christmas! Dx**_

_**Anyways, I will admit beforehand that I tried a little harder to widen my vocabulary because of a little criticism I received. And, you know what? I think this chapter is worse... xP Totally my fault, and my opinion. Well, whatever.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

For the longest five minutes of his life, he stood there, watching his visitor with a less-than-impressed expression. He wasn't doing anything, that guy. Most everybody would praise his shrine in some way, maybe even pray to him, but, everybody did at least something. The blonde man hadn't said a word.

He just stood there, letting his horrid-smelling cylinder burn down to almost nothing between his lips, staring at the shrine with a blank face. Not that he could see much of that blank face; he was on the left side of the blonde man, where his hair covered his eye. He could see enough, though, to know that the man was thinking about something that, more than likely, didn't relate to his location. Still, despite getting antsy at standing in the same place for so long, he watched his visitor.

At long last, his visitor pulled the cylinder from his mouth and extinguished its dying flame on the bottom of his shoe. The blonde man heaved a mighty sigh, his shoulders slumped, and his head dropped. This perplexed him, but, he continued to watch his visitor, keeping as quiet as possible.

"What the hell am I even here for?" The blonde man whispered to himself, beginning to pace towards the shrine and back again. "Surely not to bitch and moan about some idea of melancholy?"

He covered his mouth, just in case, watching the blonde man's pacing become faster. "That really doesn't relate... why in the hell... Gah! I should just go home." The blonde man sighed again, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a little carton. "No. if I do that, the old fart will ask why I'm back so early..." His visitor pulled out another cylinder and held it between his index and middle fingers. "I can't exactly answer that question... God, I must be going crazy, trying to talk myself out of... I don't even know what!"

The blonde man ceased his pacing and his eyebrows furrowed deeply. He almost glared at the grass as he seemed to mull over something in his mind. This visitor was insane, he decided.

"How could that be right? It isn't. I'm a complete idiot, that's all." He shook his blonde head as he walked up to the shrine and read the metal plate that was screwed to one of the wooden posts that held up the small shrine's roof.

"Is this vandalism or something? Seems wrong..." The blonde mumbled, running his thumb over some splinters in the wood where the screws had ruined it. He completely agreed with his visitor. That plaque was a crime against him, and he despised it for hurting his home, never mind that it had inaccurate facts engraved into it.

The blonde man snorted as he read the plaque. "'This shrine is the last remaining object from a time where merciless bloodshed occurred over a century ago, when the surrounding forest was nothing but seedlings,'" He paused in reading aloud to laugh. "Bullshit."

_How could he know that?_

-~Switching~-

Sanji shook his head at the bronze plate of lies. He may not have known much about the area, but, Robin had told him about that so-called 'merciless bloodshed'. Sanji knew she couldn't have been completely correct, because, honestly, there were no surviving eye-witnesses, and surely Robin hadn't been there at the time of events unfolded, but, he believed her more than he believed some shitty piece of misinformed metal.

To his understanding, what had taken place was nothing more than a bandits' tiff, an argument over money. There were a few wild animals, or something, that decided to get involved, as Robin had said, and the bandits were found dead within a week. He wasn't sure how it all tied together, but, Robin told him that the forest was quite likely a large span of lush greenery, even back then. 'Then', meaning about a century ago.

Robin said that it was no big deal, but, whenever she could, she would correct the written history. Something about getting her story straight. Sounded to him like she was planning to dramatically crush some history buff or something.

In any case, it bothered him that they would inscribe mostly untrue things into a plaque and then screw it to a perfectly good wooden post. Of course, they got the date right, but there wasn't much to screw up when it was 'about a century ago.'

"Hmm..." Sanji hummed to himself, eyeing the cigarette in his hand. There was more to read on the plaque, so, ignoring the jittery agitation growing inside him, Sanji continued reading the supposed history of the shrine. "'Built at an invisible point in this island's great history,' great history my ass, 'the shrine of Santoryuu was known to be the resting place of a God, Roronoa Zoro, a master of the three-sword technique.'" Sanji raised an eyebrow at the words.

He couldn't help but think of this Roronoa Zoro as being conceited as hell. _I mean, _three swords_? Three arms is impossible, so, this dude is just trying too hard._ Sanji thought, shaking his head.

-~Switching~-

The blonde man shook his head, and that offended him a little bit. He couldn't tell what his visitor was thinking, but, he thought it had something to do with his status as displayed on the stupid plaque.

Frowning to himself, Zoro decided the title 'God' was a little much, but, it was all that humans could wrap their minds around, and not even so much that as a word that effectively relays strength and public standing. Other than being called a God, that title was nothing but the truth. It kind of pissed him off that people under-estimated him like that blonde man did.

"Wonder what they said when they read this. If they read this. I wouldn't put it past Luffy not to." The blonde man mumbled to himself, pulling a shiny metal lighter out of his pocket, and flipping it open. He lit one end of his nosemurderstick and held the other end between his fingers. Suddenly, he chuckled to himself, startling Zoro. "He's probably being murdered right now." The blonde man seemed to be amused by that, as he fished in his pocket yet again and pulled out one of those annoying little beeping devices that humans found as great conversationalists.

He pushed a few random buttons with his thumb and held the device to his ear. After a minute, he said, "Hey, Luffy, how are you?... Ah, I see... good... Is Ussop still there?... Cool. Has Nami been over yet?... No? Well, damn. I was hoping to get to hear over the phone what was happening... Never mind, I'll probably be over sometime tonight. Bye!" He laughed, shaking his head as he pressed a button on the talky device and replaced it in his pants pocket.

Zoro was getting a little impatient, wanting to sit down in his shrine and take a nap before he went out again sometime in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, his curly-eyebrow visitor was still milling around. He looked like he was sulking or something. Zoro really didn't like when humans sulked; it really hung in the air when somebody was bummed. And, he didn't want it to hang around his shrine.

"Oi!" Zoro called out to the blonde man, though he wasn't sure what he was doing. He stepped out of the bushes towards his visitor, who was staring directly at him, looking more than a little shocked. "What the hell are you doing here?" Zoro asked, expressing the kind of attitude that he learned worked on humans. That particular human didn't seem to like that.

"What do you mean what the hell am I doing here? I'm not bothering anybody, asshole." The blonde man said, sounding perfectly level. Zoro saw a bit of a spark behind his only visible eye and he knew that this was not the type of human to bend to intimidation.

"You're bothering _me_, Shitty-brow." Zoro said, baring his teeth just enough to be scary, not too weird. The blonde man glared at him, baring his own teeth a little as well. "What'd you say, Marimo head?"

"M-marimo?" Zoro questioned, raising an eyebrow at the blonde man who proceeded to laugh. He looked up, trying to see his own hair and failing miserably, before he decided the laughter had to stop. "Shut up, stupid Blondie!" He growled. He didn't think it was a terribly effective thing to say, but, it was the best he had.

"Blondie? What the hell kind of insult is that?" The blonde man snorted, grinning. He was really beginning to annoy Zoro, and the worst part was that Zoro didn't even know who the hell it was that dared ruin his peace. If he knew who his visitor was, he could just search him out later on and pay him back for ruining Zoro's peace. _Hey...!_

"What's your name?"

The blonde man's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? Why the fuck would I tell you?" His curly eyebrow arched to an unimaginable degree as a smirk possessed his lips. This was the equivalent, in Zoro's mind, to throwing gasoline in the fire. He already knew that the blonde man didn't know who he was, but, if he did know, he would have been wetting himself just about then.

"You'll tell me, or I'll kick your ass, Shitty-brow!"

"Stop calling me that, fucking Neanderthal!"

"If I knew what your name is I'd stop, idiot Curly-cue!"

The blonde man stopped in his insulting for a moment, looking off to the side. "You know, for some reason, I don't believe that." He mumbled. He was right up in Zoro's face, so not a word was missed. _Wait, when did that happen?_ Zoro suddenly questioned how they'd gotten so close. He knew that he tended to get a little over-aggressive when he was pissed, but, usually people backed away. _Blondie thinks he could beat me if we fought. No fucking way!_

-~Switching~-

_When did I tell Zeff I'd be back...?_ Sanji glanced at his watch. Five forty-seven. Not as late as he thought it would be, especially since the sun was just barely still serving any purpose for their island. _They're probably already cleaning up for the dinner rush._

"Oh, shit!" Sanji's eyes grew wider than he thought they could as he read his watch again. Five forty-eight. "The old fart's gonna have a come-apart!" Sanji screamed, pulling at his hair as he dashed off to the nearest navigatable area. Whether or not he had actually promised to work that day, which he couldn't remember, he knew that the Baratie was almost always short-handed. Of course the day he anticipated to kick some ass was no exception.

Really, he just wanted to beat the holy living dogshit out of that Seaweed head. The freaking Moss was rude to him for no reason, and, as a gentleman, he could not let that kind of behavior go unpunished. Too bad he didn't catch where the hell that low-class plant lived. Then he could have gotten a little revenge on that horribly ill-behaved Marimo.

-~Switching~-

Zoro stared after his visitor, sort of a glare, sort of not. He wasn't sure what to make of him earlier, but, now, he was just fucking confused. He wasn't entirely sure what had just transpired, but, he had expected a fight that didn't take place. Well, he'd expected that human to start a fight and for himself to win it without effort. He was completely in awe of how things ended up.

Well, perhaps those weren't the right words. He didn't know what had happened, or what the blonde man was talking about when he suddenly shouted. Actually, he really didn't know anything about the blonde man, except for his appearance and his attitude. Somehow, Zoro felt that he would be stuck remembering his visitor for a while to come. _I mean, how do you forget a fucking _curly _eyebrow?_

Zoro walked up to the three steps that led to the doors of his shrine. They were locked all the time to keep out cantankerous humans, but, Zoro had figured out how to pick the lock so he could get in and out. Some strange old guy had put it there to keep the sliding door in place while he cleaned up the shrine, and Zoro was thankful for that, but, the lock was a big hassle for the first week. In any case, it was a fortunate thing, and, perhaps the only good thing a human had ever done for him.

The lock made a lot of clacking noises as its mechanism came undone. That was normal, Zoro knew, but he was beginning to believe that his lock was on its last legs. That meant he'd have to go shopping. In the human town.

Zoro groaned.

"Freaking *boroboro..." He mumbled, sliding the door shut behind himself. The inside of his shrine was relatively large. Compared to the outside, anyway. It was probably only five square-feet of space, but, others like him had much smaller shrines. In any case, it was enough room for his swords and him to rest.

As Zoro settled on the floor futon, he could feel that someone else was approaching his shrine. Well, the general area of it. They were in his vicinity, he knew, and they were loitering. He hated loiterers. Why? Because he had to deal with them all too often.

"_SANJI! You have to get over here, and quick!"_ The cook recoiled away from his phone, looking around, just to make sure that no one else could hear that shout. He was in the back corner of the busy kitchen, so, he really wasn't surprised that no one seemed to hear his friend's loudness.

"Listen, I'm _supposed_ to be working right now. What's so urgent that you had to call me in the middle of a busy shift?"

"_It's Ussop! I think Nami killed him! Ah- No, he's breathing. Never mind. Bring me some meat when you're done?"_

Sanji sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand. He couldn't come up with a reasonable and calm response, so he just hung up. He knew Luffy didn't care, so he jumped back into the flow of work without a second thought. Okay, so, that's not _entirely_ true.

_That bastard seaweed... I shoulda kicked his ass... But, there's no way I'm going back to that shrine just to knock some manners into a meathead that I don't ever want to see again... I wonder who the hell he thinks he is to tell me to leave... Shit... I did leave, so, now it looks like I listened to him... Now I look like some big-ass pansy!... Crap, table three ordered a lot... I wonder how Ussop's doing..._ A great deal of mind-wandering ensued for hours afterward, leaving Sanji with a terrible headache, and a decision that might not have been made with clear logic.

He was going to go out again.

Not to that shrine. Oh, God, no. He would never do that. Actually, after all this shrine-ness, Sanji had decided that he could use to visit his Robin-chan. The relevancy of his late visit to Robin-chan in relation to his earlier visit to that shrine? There was none as far as he was concerned. He just wanted to see his lovely, elegant, gorgeous, not-seen-enough Robin-chwan.

_Twenty minutes later, at Robin's house-_

"Ah, Cook-san, how very thoughtful of you." Robin cooed, in her low, smooth voice, presenting Sanji with a smile. She placed the fancy-wrapped box of small cakes, a standard gift for Sanji to bring to one of the girls, on her coffee table. "As always, you are very welcome, Robin-chwan!" Sanji said, beaming.

Robin's spick and span apartment made the following pause a little bit awkward, what with Sanji admiring everything in the room, including Robin, and the latter sitting quietly, just smiling a queer smile.

"You know, Cook-san, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about," Robin said, after a minute. She placed on hand on top of the other on her lap, and leaned forward in her seat. "Something, I believe, that you will find, in the least, interesting."

Sanji's eyebrows rose, ever-so-slightly. "What is it?" He asked, finding himself more than a little curious. It wasn't every day that Robin had something she wanted to share with him.

"It concerns Sniper-san and Captain-san's discovery." Robin said, her mysterious smile growing just a bit, as it tended to do when she spoke of history.

"I didn't know you knew about that?"

"Oh? You didn't?" Robin asked. Sanji shook his head, and Robin hummed. "Sniper-san did say he gave it to me for safe-keeping." She mumbled. The cook's jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right? I mean, forgive my rudeness, Robin-chan, but, that idiot forgot where he put that stuff." Sanji said, rolling his eyes a little at the thought. There was no title more fitting for Ussop than 'idiot'.

Robin laughed lightly, and continued, "Well, I've been studying it, and I believe there's something that you all might like to hear. Since you're here, of course, you wouldn't mind listening to my story?"

_**Aaaaaaand, that's a wrap! Kind of a bad cutting point, huh? Well, sorry, but, I need time to think. xD I realize I gave Sanji a similar schedule to the one in my story Halloween, but, I'm really not creative when it comes to working schedules.**_

_**Anyway, what did you think? I'd love some reviews. ^^**_


	4. Ich Spuer Dich

**Took me long enough, right! I'm sooooorry!**

**I haven't really got anything to say right now, so... Enjoy!**

"Zoro? You here?" A small voice called, following a quiet knock on the outside of the shrine. Zoro knew who it was, but, he had arrived unannounced. Unannounced visits were almost never good. "Come on in." Zoro half sighed. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear why his friend decided to show up in the middle of the night, but, he couldn't leave the poor guy out in the dark by himself.

Wood scraped against wood as the door opened halfway. "Excuse me... Sorry for coming so late Zoro." The small silhouette in the doorway apologized. "'S fine. I wasn't sleeping or anything." Zoro said. He hadn't been sleeping, but, he had been trying to. Of course, he didn't want his friend to feel like a bother.

"Well, I, uh... I have some news. It's kinda bad. Or, at least, that's what the others have said. But, I really-"

"Chopper, just tell me what it is." Zoro interrupted. Chopper swallowed and closed the door behind himself. "It's not something we have to worry about, okay? I got a message from them saying it's all under control." He was trying to prevent a bad reaction, Zoro knew. Keeping in mind that his friend believed he would react badly, Zoro took a deep breath. As he exhaled, Zoro asked, "Okay, what?"

"It's about the chest."

Zoro tensed slightly, and raised an eyebrow. "What about it? Isn't that thing protected?"

"It was. I don't know how it happened, really, small details, you know? It just... It's gone." Chopper said, in an almost apologetic way. When Zoro didn't say anything, didn't even blink as far as Chopper could tell, he gave the rest of the information. "They think someone stole it."

After an appropriate amount of time spent controlling himself, Zoro inhaled sharply. "What? Stole it? How the fuck could anyone do that? No one could touch that fuckin' thing!" Zoro ranted. It wasn't the kind of thing he could just keep in his head, he decided. "I mean, not even we can touch it! Who could-!"

"Humans." Chopper answered, cutting off Zoro's question. The swordsman paused in his half-standing position and stared at Chopper. "You're kidding." He said, significantly calmer than a moment ago.

Chopper shook his head. "Two adolescent humans. The others aren't really worried about them, though; they're just going to figure out how to get the chest back."

"Wow." Zoro could find no other words. It was just 'wow'. He was just presented with news so unfathomable to his brain that it could only function enough for a single 'wow'. For the longest time, Zoro had known the chest was untouchable. Everyone who knew about it told him that the chest was un-gettable. Or at least, that's how he understood it. Nobody had tried to get it because it was safe where it was. To think that something so important had been stolen, and by humans, no less... Wow.

"Well, I haven't had much time to study these historic items; so, I haven't quite connected all of it together." Robin said, gesturing towards the chest that she'd brought in from another room. It was made from a very dark wood and the edges were secured with some kind of metal that had faded and rusted over a long period of time. Dirt was in almost every crevice in the wood, except for the places that had obviously been cleaned recently.

Sanji studied the chest, barely keeping himself seated. His curiosity was plain on his face, and Robin couldn't help but think he looked so much like a child. "An impressive artifact, is it not?" She asked, trailing her fingers across the heavily scarred wood. Sanji nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure what to say. He was impressed by the chest before him. The buried treasure idea was always a cool one to him.

"So," Sanji began, rubbing at an engraved design on the back of the chest. "Aside from the diary, what was in here?"

"Not much. A few hand-written documents, all of them rather old, a dried up ink well, a quill pen and a handful of ancient currency." Robin explained, unlocking the chest in three different places. "There were also some bottles of various herbs and roots, but, I sent those off to a friend of mine for examination." She added.

"Ah. What are the documents about?"

"That is what I'm getting to, if you will allow me, Cook-san. The documents are records, much like in the journal, but, more official." Robin opened the chest delicately until the hinges in the back refused to go any further. She gestured to the spot on the couch right beside her. Sanji smiled and walked around the coffee table and happily took the seat beside Robin. He had a clear view inside the treasure chest from there, and by 'the treasure chest', he of course meant on the table. "May I?" Sanji asked, reaching for a tattered-looking scroll.

"You may." Robin nodded. "Please use extreme caution, Cook-san, when handling these papers. They are very fragile." She lifted the ink well from the chest and pointed to its label. It read 'since 1600'.

Sanji nodded as he unraveled the scroll he'd pulled out. It was about a foot and a half long, browning all around the edges and covered in alien script. Sanji couldn't understand a word of it. "What is this? I've never seen anything that even looks like it." He squinted at the page in hopes of understanding something, but, it didn't help. He was lost on a piece of paper.

"Oh, yes. Did I forget to say? Most of the journal and all of the documents are written in an ancient text, some of which I recognize as traditional scripture of an old civilization." Robin noted, pointing at one of the characters on the page. "I'm unsure about the origins of this particular script, however."

Sanji sighed. He rolled the scroll back up and replaced it in the chest. "That was kind of a letdown." He mumbled, pouting ever-so-slightly. Robin noticed that and laughed. "I haven't told you the most interesting part yet, Cook-san. Would you still like to hear it?"

"Of course." Sanji said, smiling.

Robin nodded, taking the journal out of the treasure chest, and opening it to a page that was marked by the old red ribbon that bound the book. "I'll start by reading a bit from the parts that are clear and easy to understand." She said, pulling a smart-looking pair of reading glasses from her breast pocket. She placed the glasses on the end of her nose, and began reading aloud after a moment of adjusting. "'In our world, there are many unholy things. I've come across monsters, demons, if you'll believe. Evil creatures, blood thirsty, each with a taste for different flesh. They crave humans, as they have succeeded in being what no demon could ever be; pure.'"

"I read that part before." Sanji said, nodding.

Robin looked at him without turning her head away from the journal. "Did you read further?"

"Ah, no. Forgive me for interrupting, Robin-chan, please continue."

Turning her eyes back to the page, she began reading immediately. "'They are all around us, every place, and everyday. No human can differentiate between humans and demons by looking at them, surely not even I. The differences are in the soul. Demons are so incredibly different in nature and ability. I have only just begun trying to convince other people of this. No one believes me. All I've accomplished is raising a flag to the demonic population, letting them know that I need to be dealt with. Note to self: Demons don't like it when humans know about them. They bite.

"'I discovered something today; the only safe place for me, possessing the knowledge that I do, is the Calm Belt Graveyard.'" Robin paused in her reading. She looked at Sanji with a very curious expression. "I know that place." She said quietly, smiling at the prospect of an idea she would only bring up at a later date.

Sanji raised an eyebrow at her expression. He was hoping she would see that he wanted to know the significance of the Calm Belt Graveyard. Unfortunately, whether she ignored him or just didn't see, Robin continued to read. "'Those demons are out to get me. I am afraid that I'm living in my last days. Then again, I've been thinking that for weeks now, and here I sit, writing in my journal still. I will try to get down as much information as possible before they get me.'"

Robin stopped abruptly, making it sound like an incomplete sentence. She stared at the page, mouth hanging open slightly. If Sanji didn't know better, he'd say that she looked a bit scared. "What's wrong, Robin-chan?" He asked, leaning over to see if it was something just incredibly shocking on the page.

Before the cook got to see anything, though, Robin shut the diary, removing the ribbon from that page. "It switched to that strange language sooner than I thought." Robin said, by way of apology. "Forgive me, Cook-san, it may take a while for me to decipher this dead language."

"That's alright. Your brilliance should be more than a match for that writing~!" Sanji said, grinning.

"How very sweet of you, Cook-san. Now, if you don't mind, it's been a long day... Perhaps I will let you know if I find something some other time?" Robin subtly gestured towards the door. Sanji caught on to her hints and nodded. "Yes Ma'am. I'll leave you to yourself then~." Sanji sighed. He got up and, after bidding a few flamboyant good-byes, left Robin's house.

Standing on the front step, hand still in the air from waving, Sanji couldn't help but feel that he was shooed out forcefully. Of course, his lovely, delicate Robin-chwan didn't force him out, that would be very unlike her. She simply became fatigued over the course of the day, Sanji decided, though it had seemed a bit peculiar the way she ushered him out.

Being the gentleman he was, Sanji told himself he would not press Robin on the matter. It was small and insignificant, anyway. _Something more urgent at the moment would be the weather,_ Sanji thought, shrugging his shoulders up to his ears to protect them from the evening chill. During the day, when the sun was out, everything was butterflies and rainbows, but, at night it would have been warmer if someone had just replaced Sanji's spine with an icicle. That is to say, it was very cold out.

Very much regretting not having driven, Sanji pulled his jacket on further and trekked down the sidewalk accompanied by a cold wind. The yellow street-lights provided a bit of an eerie mood, assisted in its creepiness by a distant car alarm and a chorus of sleepless dogs. Honestly, Sanji didn't easily scare, but, the echoing silence was beginning to get to him. Every time a new sound broke the quiet, he jumped. It wasn't voluntary, it wasn't manly, and Sanji despised it. He could only hope that no beautiful girls crossed his path while he was in that skittish state.

Perhaps a bit quicker than normal, Sanji crossed the street, anticipating all the necessary turns to get back home five minutes in advance. Surprisingly, Robin's neighborhood didn't seem to have much traffic, or any people for that matter, so that would make it easier to get back, Sanji figured.

Only a few minutes into his walk, he started to hear the people and businesses that were open late on the same street as the Baratie. It was quite a comfort. However, an unsettling chill had taken up residence in Sanji's neck. A feeling similar to 'I'm being watched' goaded him into glancing over each shoulder. He wasn't sure when or why it started, but, it was creeping the shit out of him.

Even as the lights became brighter, the people more frequent and the noise grew annoyingly, that tingle didn't go away. One of a hundred people could have been watching Sanji on that street. A random stranger in passing following Sanji with their eyes. He loosened up a little when he told himself it was someone random, but, he could not be called calm. Not until he could see the Baratie's front door.

He was so close, he knew, in the home stretch, but the pedestrian light wouldn't turn. There were maybe two cars way back that the light was waiting on. Sanji had to wait on that light. He couldn't, in good conscience, cross the street on a red light while everyone else had to wait on green. Still, having to stay put while that chill worked its way down his spine made Sanji a little punchy.

The few people that were waiting at the curb with him didn't seem to be looking at him, as far as he could tell. But, who was? _Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me... or, whatever it is that tells me I'm being watched. I don't even know how that happens._ Sanji shook his head slightly and rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand in hopes of ridding himself of that creeping feeling. It didn't really go away, but, Sanji had already decided it was nothing important.

_That was him. That curly bastard... what was he doing at Robin's house?_

Sanji sighed as he closed the door behind himself. _Safe._ His room, his haven, was dark, lit only by the lights of the town outside his window. The darkness, surprisingly, didn't bother him as he shed his jacket and shoes on his way to the bathroom. The restaurant downstairs was still busy, but, he figured he could get away with cleaning himself up a bit.

Actually, Sanji didn't think he'd be going back to work again that night, since it was already nine thirty, and closing time on a weekday was ten-ish. But, that didn't even matter. Really, nothing did, except for the lack of feeling like he was being watched.

Sighing again, Sanji laid out his pajamas and toothbrush on the edge of the sink beside the shower. He looked around for a towel that he was sure was in the bathroom. _Not any hanging, or even in the floor... That damn old fart._ Sanji mentally cursed the shared bathroom. There was nothing he could do, though. They only needed one bathroom between the two of them, and forty-seven towels for Zeff. Sanji groaned at the truth in that thought as he trudged towards wherever he'd put down that laundry basket.

Like any normal person, Sanji found that he'd left the basket of towels in the kitchen sink, (though he blamed that one on Zeff). He pulled out the biggest, fluffiest, whitest towel in there, slung it over his shoulder and started back towards the bathroom.

Just as Sanji was closing the door behind himself, a muffled sound reached his ears. A sound reminiscent of glass breaking, if he'd heard correctly. He hit his head against the door once on purpose before heading back out. "What the hell'd you break, old fart?" Sanji called. No answer.

"Seriously? Just own up to it; even older-than-dust bastards break shit." Sanji grumbled, looking around the living room. No one was in there, and no one was shouting about 'respect your elders, eggplant'. The cook didn't know if that was good or bad. _It could mean the old fart is incapable of arguing, 'cause he hurt himself or whatever... It could mean he's ignoring me, hiding out in his room... Or it could mean-_

A dull thud sounded from across the hall, interrupting Sanji's thoughts. He swiftly strode to Zeff's bedroom door and swung it wide open. Nothing seemed out of place. Not a blonde moustache hair in sight.

Sanji frowned. He left Zeff's door as it was, just in case, and went to his own room. Carefully, Sanji pushed the door open. He couldn't see much in his room. The light from the hall was no help and the light from outside were only faint, but, Sanji could tell something was off about his room.

As he flicked on the overhead light, Sanji looked around. Almost immediately, he noticed that his touch-lamp off the bedside table had fallen and shattered. The tension he didn't realize had gathered left him and his shoulders slumped. "Thank God it's just the lamp." He whispered to himself. It was a mess, of course, but he could sweep it up later, and bid that lamp good riddance.

Sanji took a deep breath and turned off the light. As he turned to leave, though, he felt a chill. He snapped his attention right to the window. The window that was wide open.

**EHHHHHH? What is going to happen **_**next**_**? Hahaha. ^^ I don't know, was that a fail cliff-hanger? It kind of was, wasn't it?**

**Well, whatever. Reviews are loved!**


	5. Wenn du mich suchst

**Sorry it took so long! Got nothin' to say, really, so... Enjoy!**

Sanji flipped the light back on and crossed the room in a few angry strides. He slammed the window shut as hard as he could without breaking any glass. He whirled around and surveyed the room with clearer eyes than he had before.

None of your classic, tell-tale clues from television were lying around and that just pissed him off more. Sanji slung open his closet and peered into the scarcely illuminated space. His closet was hardly enough room to hide in, he knew, but, he had to check. He had to check everywhere. The whole house, end to end, including the restaurant beneath.

Sticking to that mindset, Sanji checked under his bed, then the rest of the stuffy apartment. By the time he was finished checking the upstairs, He could hear the customers dispersing below, and bidding goodbyes to any likeable staff that might still have been working and complimenting the food. It was closing time, so, if any intruders had been there they would be leaving already.

Just fucking wonderful.

He knew it would be no use storming down there raging mad and worked up about something, anything, no matter how important. He'd just start a fight, and then get roped into clean up duty. Or, he would get everyone else all worked up about it too only to find out there hadn't really been a break-in, that the lamp simply fell, and the window was just left open earlier in the day.

Maybe that was it. Maybe there really _hadn't_ been a break-in. Maybe he _was_ exaggerating... _Oh, who am I kidding? It was fucking cold out today; I didn't open that damn window!_ Sanji kicked his door shut behind himself. He didn't want to do nothing, but, he didn't know where to start.

Sanji had never been one for cop dramas, and he'd never had anything even similar happen before. He already locked the window, searched the place and cleaned up the lamp. Now, what? He didn't know what to do. Surely not shower and go to bed, he wouldn't be calm enough to do that. He was left with one option.

Sanji laid himself down in the middle of his bed, crossing his ankles and tucking his arms together over his chest. "Now, who would break in...? They must not know about me and Zeff... But, they didn't take anything..." Sanji mumbled to himself, eyes closed, but, ears wide open. He wouldn't miss it if something else happened.

~_The next morning~_

"Someone akshuwy bwoke into your woom?" Ussop asked, around his swollen lip.

"Who did it? Did you see them?" Nami questioned, walking beside Sanji. The cook shushed them both, looking around at the others in the hall with them. "No, I didn't. I don't know who it was, but, I'm going to find out." Sanji answered, quietly.

"Of course you are." Nami said, nodding.

"Who are we finding?" Luffy asked, appearing behind the group just as the bell rang. Nami relayed to Luffy the story that she herself had heard only minutes before as they headed to their classes. While Luffy began expressing his understanding of the situation by repeating the whole thing back to whoever was listening, Sanji pulled Nami aside.

"Nami-swan, may I ask of you one small favor, my Darling?"

The redhead evaluated him for a moment before nodding. "What is it?"

Sanji smiled, "A task, I believe, deserving of your talents, Madame." He paused, looking around. "I need you to help me find out if it was anyone here."

Nami raised her eyebrows, slightly, and a grin broke out across her face. "Will there be payment?" Sanji nodded. "Then, count me in! We'll meet up at lunch to discuss my findings and my fee." She said with a wink.

"This isn't it." Chopper murmured, examining a bright pink flower closely. He stood, holding his basket of herbs and roots. "I wonder if that kind of flower even grows in this forest." He mused, looking around at the varying plant life of the forest floor.

"Beats me."

"Zoro, get down from there. Searching for plants is one thing, but, you look even more suspicious up there." Chopper stated, turning his attention towards a patch of little yellow flowers. He heard some grumbling in response and knew that his friend wasn't going to listen to him.

Way above the ground, hundreds of feet up a pine tree where no birds rested, Zoro sighed. No matter what he did, nothing seemed to help. Even training this high up, he couldn't avoid his thoughts for very long.

Zoro sheathed his swords and sat on the wide branch he'd managed to find. He needed to be at his shrine, he needed to run errands, he needed to meet with someone, but, he couldn't do any of it. Not until he was sure he'd cleansed his brain of its possessor.

Something had come over him. Something that he couldn't control. A fascination that seemed to be without end, nor cure. Beyond his 'main' problem, Zoro had many smaller things tugging at his nerves. Several things that he knew would smooth themselves out in time.

"Hey, Zoro?"

Like that one.

"Are you still awake up there?"

I am not going on a flower search.

"I could use some help down here."

Not with anyone.

"... Well, I suppose, i-if you're asleep... Maybe I could go ask Robin?"

Damn it.

Zoro hoisted himself down from his wonderful perch, cutting feet-first through the air, missing each and every pine needle on the way to the ground. Despite the pull gravity had on him, he landed, only slightly crouched, with a small crunch of sticks beneath his feet.

Chopper watched him, slightly guilty of his own coaxing methods. "Would you mind?" Chopper asked, quietly. The swordsman narrowed his eyes at Chopper. "I've seen some more exotic-looking things over this way." Zoro sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and starting in the direction where he had seen, hopefully, his friend's desired flowers.

For a long while they walked without talking, though that was not Chopper's preferred way to travel. After what must have been a half hour, the trees became sparse, giving way to larger patches of wild flowers. Chopper was slightly surprised at this, since he had considered his friend's sense of direction to be... Well, the worst.

"Oh, those ones look like they have great medical properties! I've seen them in quite a few of my books!" Chopper raved, speculating what all he could do with so many different kinds of medicinal plants. As he knelt with his basket to collect as many useful herbs as possible, he heard Zoro pacing. "Is something bothering you, Zoro?"

The pacing stopped. "Nah. Not really." Zoro answered slowly, and then dropped down to the grass with a sigh. "Wake me when you're finished here."

Oh. Something is definitely wrong. Why wouldn't he tell me...?

"Alright, so," Nami sighed, shifting her weight onto her other foot. "I've been working the grapevines all morning and I've got nothing, meaning there's probably nothing to get." She said.

Sanji nodded. "Thank you, Nami-san. I suppose it was a bit too much of a hope for me to think I could easily find the intruder." Sanji decided, exhaling smoke from what must've been his dozenth cigarette of the day. He reached in his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a previously requested sum.

Nami smiled at the money and reached for it, but, she paused before she even touched it. Slowly, she took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "Call this one a favor, okay?" She said, slightly annoyed at herself as she turned away from Sanji.

"Oh, Nami-swan, you're so generous~" Sanji cooed. Nami sighed over-dramatically, hanging her head. "I know, I know. But, next time you won't be so lucky!" She promised, strutting over to the door and leaving the roof without another word. Sanji sighed. He hadn't expected a freebie. It would come back to bite him later, most assuredly.

The cook dropped his spent cigarette and squashed it against the dampened cement. It had rained earlier that day, Sanji guessed. He hadn't seen it, but, he vaguely remembered something about a coming storm. _I suppose that can't really make things worse for me, so... Yay. Rain._

Staring out at the slightly-graying school grounds, Sanji didn't want to go back in. He was far too agitated to sit still through his classes, but, he really didn't want to leave himself with nothing to do. No convincing argument to keep himself from going off the deep end. He just knew he'd go ape-shit on the first almost-suspicious person he came across.

Sanji laughed at himself. "I'm so damn crazy." He mumbled, shoving off the guard rail towards the door. If he didn't get to lunch soon, his friends would get suspicious. If they got suspicious he'd have to tell them what he and Nami were doing, (searching for someone within the school that might dislike Sanji enough to break into his room), and then they would want to help. Luffy and Ussop. _Helping_.

The halls were quietly echoing the chatter from each group's respective lunching places. Some people ate on the stairs, some in the classrooms, though that was punishable by the teaching staff, but the largest number of students was in the lunch room, talking way too loudly to also be eating. Sanji noted this and mumbled his pity on the manners of the poor fools who didn't know how to use their indoor voices. _How annoying they are_.

Taking a deep breath to keep himself somewhat calm, Sanji entered the room and walked over to the table that his friends occupied, bento in hand. "Finally! What did you bring today?" Luffy asked, exuberant as always. Sanji lightly kicked him in the forehead, pushing him away from the seat Sanji intended to occupy. "_My_ lunch, Luffy."

And thus proceeded their regular, everyday lunch time. Everything seemed so unbelievably normal to Sanji. But, it wasn't normal. It couldn't be. Not everything. Someone was in his room, for God's sake, and what? Nothing changes? That simply was not possible for Sanji. He almost couldn't deal with how normal everyone acted. Of course he'd only told his friends what happened, but, the world was supposed to sense it. The universe was supposed to give him an unmistakable clue as to who did it by providing odd behavior and guilty looks to any one of a thousand suspects. But, the universe never worked exactly so.

"We'll be going this way, now!" Luffy announced, pulling Ussop by the wrist behind him. "N-n-n-no! I'm not going there, no way, Luffy!" The long nose chattered, trying to slide out of Luffy's grip. That made Sanji's eyebrow rise.

"Neither of you live in that direction," Sanji observed, gesturing towards the crosswalk that Luffy had his eyes set on. "Where're you going?" Sanji asked, mainly eyeing Ussop who seemed more likely to divulge, if only to save himself the fate of going to the place that he was so scared of.

Luffy seemed to loosen his grip on Ussop as his determined grin turned into a thoughtful frown. "Well..." He paused, putting a finger to his chin. "I was thinking about that stuff that we found a while ago. That cool stuff that Ussop lost. I wondered if we could find anything else if we went back!"

"*D-dakara, Luffy! That's why I said I'm not going! That place is too scary!"

"No, it isn't!"

"I'm telling you, it is!"

"But, it's not so bad! It's not like they're suddenly gonna rise from the grave!"

"Why would you even say-!"

"Hey!" Sanji interrupted, waving his hand between the two. Ussop continued his stammering, though quieter, and Luffy stared blankly at Sanji. "The graveyard that you got that stuff from... was it the Calm Belt Graveyard?"

Luffy's jaw went slack. "**Tsu~goi! How did you know that, Sanji?" He asked, in complete awe. Even Ussop took a moment to give Sanji a questioning look. The answer that fell off Sanji's tongue surprised him; "Just a guess, really." _Just a guess? It's not just a guess! Well, maybe it is... I mean, Robin read that address out of the old journal... I should probably tell them that..._

"Do you wanna come with us?" Luffy asked, grinning expectantly. Sanji shifted his eyes to the street they were about to cross. He could see straight ahead for quite a while before it forked. He wasn't sure how far away it was and the sun was already setting. All the usual things pointed to 'bad idea'.

"Puh~leeeeease, Sanji? It'll be an adventure!" _I'd have to make up some excuse for the old fart, if I go._ "Come on! Maybe we'll see something really cool!" _At a graveyard? I doubt it. Then again..._ "It'll make Ussop feel better if you go, too!" Luffy said, pulling Ussop into the conversation, literally yanking him forward in front of Sanji. "H-hey! Well, actually, it would, a little. But! I still don't want to go!" Ussop wailed. Half the people on the crowded street turned to look at them.

Sanji sighed. "Ah, what the hell? I'll go." He said, clapping his hand against Ussop's back in encouragement. "Sanji! Weren't you listening? You're supposed to talk him out of this!" Ussop complained, nonetheless following his friends as they started towards the graveyard.

Chopper sifted through his basket of assorted medicinal plants with big sparkly eyes. He couldn't believe all that he'd found. The flower he had been looking for still evaded him, but, it wasn't as if he needed it right away. It could wait until he was back in his own territory. He had a feeling Zoro wouldn't consent to helping him search again.

Even as he was walking back to his home with Zoro, Chopper felt a little like the other wanted to strangle him. Not because Zoro particularly hated him, no, in fact they were good friends, but, because he'd pestered Zoro about what was bothering him. He hadn't meant to tick him off, but, it just sort of happened. Whatever was bothering Zoro, Chopper decided, must be very important and top secret, because he wasn't telling Chopper a thing.

"Thanks for helping me today." Chopper said, quietly. Somehow, he felt that his voice would agitate Zoro if he spoke above a whisper. The swordsman cast his eyes down at Chopper and, noting the pitiful expression, he replied, "No problem. It was kinda nice not being stuck in my shrine all day." Chopper's ears perked slightly, and he stood up a bit straighter. It really didn't take much, sometimes, to fix an afternoon's worth of damage.

The mood lightened ever-so-slightly as they continued on through the last rays of sunshine. Chopper's territory was a while away, so they'd probably be walking through the night just to get to the half-point between their lands.

The humans began to disperse after a while, with only the faintest orange glow to return home by. Lights from a more populated street bled into their path, allowing the conditions to be just perfect for spotting something so utterly off-setting Chopper almost can't manage words.

"Z-Zoro! Look!" He squeaks, pointing to the flabbergasting sight. There, the Sacred Ground as their kind called it was being intruded. That didn't happen often, as the place was run-down and full-up. No one visited that place except for a rumored grounds-keeper. So, why in the hell were three humans sneaking through the wrought iron gate?

*** Dakara - Therefore, so (roughly, I mean, I've heard it translated that way!) ((I can hear Kappei Yamaguchi saying 'Dakara, Luffy!' in my head, anyway.))**

*** Tsugoi - Amazing, cool. (You didn't know that? Luffy says that all the time! Except it's more like 'Tsugeeeeii!')**

**The next chapter is going to be pretty awesome, so, leave a nice review for me and I'll be more motivated to write it! xD**


	6. Ich Schaue Dich an

**Yaaay! Finally an update! I am sooo sorry TuT it's been ages since I've updated! Well, maybe not ages, but, still... xD**

**Anyway, this one's a little longer, so... I hope that makes up for absence? Oh, one more thing, anyone who also reads 'Attitude Match!' I am so sorry to you. If that makes sense. xD I am having trouble wrapping up the chapter, but, I'll get it to ya soon enough.**

**Enjoy!**

"Quietly, okay, we don't wanna get arrested for trespassing!" Ussop hissed, looking over his shoulder as he followed Luffy and Sanji. He could swear that tree they just passed was moving.

"You're the one that's gonna get caught, if you keep talking." Sanji whispered, walking completely at ease further into the slightly declining field of graves. Luffy led the way around each headstone, practically skipping as he explained which way it was to the place where they found the treasure chest that night, nearly two weeks ago. Sanji didn't really trust his sense of direction, but, he himself had no better idea of where it was.

Carefully, the three of them conversed as they progressed along the half-dead grass, mostly talking of zombies and serial killers, however much it traumatized poor Ussop. The expanse of stone and marble memorials was barely visible in the dim starlight, creating an even more ominous scene. Combine the lack of flowers at any of the graves and the Calm belt Graveyard seemed as good as abandoned.

"Hey," Sanji said, suddenly, interrupting an argument about the likelihood of zombie serial killers. "I've probably already asked this, but, why were you two here before and how the hell did you get to digging in a graveyard?"

Luffy turned to walk backwards and, in the faint light, Sanji could just see he was wearing an almost serious expression. Almost. "We were dared to go to the farthest, darkest corner of the property and dig." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Get your facts straight, idiot!" Ussop shouted waved his hand in disagreement. "Luffy was dared to sneak up on the groundskeeper, if there is one, then report his findings to this group of big, scary, mean guys from who knows where. But, he dragged me along, we found a map with an X on it and Luffy forced me to help him dig up whatever was on that spot." Ussop complained. Neither Sanji nor Luffy pitied him.

Continuing normally, Luffy laughed as he repeated the story to Sanji and pointed out that they were 'almost there'.

"What do we do? I've never actually had to deal with intruders before!" Chopper panicked, pacing in front of the gates. Zoro sighed. "We have to stop them. You up to it?" He placed Chopper's basket of plants on the other side of the gate so the other wouldn't kick it over in his frantic pacing.

Chopper stopped abruptly, mid-pace. "What if they're just visiting one of the graves?"

Zoro gave him a look, and Chopper sighed. "I know they're all hundreds of years old, b-but, it's still possible!"

"Chopper. We can't have a second robbery. Especially not on my territory again! The others are gonna start looking into it, and I'm gonna be punished."

"I know, I know." Chopper said, exasperated. He put a hoof to his chin and closed his eyes in thought. "What if we just follow them for a bit? Figure out what they're doing?"

The swordsman shook his head, but, he still conceded. "We'll need to get you a disguise first, though. And maybe me, too." He said, looking over his two-and-a-half-foot, humanoid reindeer friend. Any human would be more than shocked to see a talking reindeer walking on two legs.

"Follow me." Zoro said, turning sideways to slide through the opening in the gate. Chopper followed quickly, just barely fitting his hat through. He stuck close to Zoro's leg, careful to avoid any and every possibility of touching a grave.

A hundred yards or so into the graveyard, there's an old abandoned building that used to be a funeral parlor. It was grand, once upon a time, large and bright, but, nature had done a number on the building. The brick structure seemed to deteriorate more each day, but, the front door remained in good enough shape for Zoro to open it and walk right in.

The inside was dusty, covered with vines and smelled like there might still be a corpse inside left un-buried. Grass sprouted up through the breaks in the floorboards, slowly making its way up pieces of furniture that were awkwardly scattered around the wide open room. Burned-out lamps covered the walls, some of them shattered. The termite-ridden woodwork where walls used to be allowed a view into the main parlor, where several caskets were lying around wide open. With all of that combined, there couldn't be a better place to hide the secrets of their species. And, of course, some masks.

"There should be something in that box over there," Zoro said, pointing to a sturdy-looking dark wooden box at the end of a hallway to their right as he went in the opposite direction. He stepped over a broken chair and past an un-hinged, though surprisingly intact, glass door and over to a cabinet in the furthest corner of the room where many a dead body were prepared for their burial.

"Oh, this one's got pretty swirls on it! It's got green and yellow..." Chopper called as he opened the box, listing further the colors of that mask and the next one he laid eyes on. "O~h! This cape is awesome! It matches my hat! Zoro, can I wear a cape?"

"Sure."

"Yay!" Chopper threw the cape around his shoulders, finding it to be a bit big. He didn't mind, though, so he happily continued searching for a mask. The box was a treasure trove of pretty costumes, mostly various articles of clothing, but, Chopper managed to find a good number of masks. He picked a wooden one with pink and blue patterns on it and red ribbons so he could tie it onto his head. "Zoro, come look!" He called, excited about his disguise.

There was a creaky sound followed by a thud before Zoro entered the hall with Chopper. "That's good. Got one for me?"

Chopper beamed and whirled around to face the box. "Yep! I already picked a good mask for you, see?" He turned back to show Zoro a bird-like mask. In a moment's notice, his smile was gone. "Zoro! What's with those?" Chopper screeched, pointing to a pair of sheathed swords hanging at Zoro's waist.

"Just in case." Zoro said simply, shrugging. Chopper stared at him for a moment longer, then handed him the bird-like mask. "I won't let you hurt the humans, no matter what their purpose here is." Chopper said, quietly.

"I wasn't planning on hurting them, just threatening." Zoro said, examining the mask he was given. He tied on his mask, and a cape for good measure. Quieter than when they entered, Chopper and Zoro left the building and followed the scent trail left behind by the humans.

The sound of crickets chirping made the situation so much dumber. Luffy stood at the front of their progression, hand to his chin, head tilted to the side, trying to remember how to get to the place where they dug up the chest. It was, after all, a week and a half later and pitch black. And Ussop was no help, saying it must be fate that they cannot 're-find' the exact same spot.

Sanji lit a cigarette as he watched the two, completely un-amused. He didn't know what he expected, but, something more productive than chickens with their heads cut off would have been great. "You idiots done yet? I've got work, ya know."

"But, we're so close! I can almost taste the up-turned dirt!" Luffy whined. Ussop shuddered. "L-Luffy! Do you know how gross that sounds? It's a freakin' graveyard!"

"Shut up, Long-nose!" Sanji hissed. "You're going to get us charged for trespassing."

"Among other things." A startling voice called their attention to the two cloaked forms a few yards behind them.

Ussop dove behind Sanji with a yelp. "Who are you? Some kind of devil-worshipers?" He yelled accusingly, ducking a little further behind his human shield when the taller of the two cloaks seemed to growl at him.

"Are~? Look how short that one is! It's like a kid or something!" Luffy took a few steps toward the short figure, grinning. "So cute~! I just wanna pet it!"

"Lu, stay away from them. Don't you know masked strangers can't be trusted?" Sanji warned, avoiding saying Luffy's actual name. He glared slightly at both of the cloaked figures as Luffy pouted at him. "But, it's cuuuute~!"

The smaller figure wiggled back and forth. "Bastard! Do you think that makes me happy~?" A young voice scolded in the most un-convincing way possible. "To be called cute by a stranger? Don't think you can flatter me, asshole!"

"See? They aren't evil, Ussop! Tell him he's cute!"

"Hey! I n-n-never said th-they were eeeevil!" Ussop defended shakily, peeking out from behind Sanji's shoulder.

Sanji shoved Ussop away by the side of his head. "So, what's going on?" He asked the taller figure, which seemed to be the only one paying attention to him. "Are you the groundskeepers? Or just out scaring people for sport?"

"You're scared?"

"So, sport, then?" Sanji frowned, raising his chin slightly.

The smaller masked figure called for the attention of the other and whispered something Sanji hadn't a hope of hearing. The taller one sighed, nodding once. "Of course. No, we are the groundskeepers. What are you three doing here?"

"There aren't groundskeepers!" Luffy announced, still grinning, but, visibly more aware of random disguised figures in the middle of a graveyard being a bad thing. "This place has been abandoned for hundreds of years, according to some guys I talked to."

"L-L-L-Luffy! What are you doing?" Ussop stuttered, clapping his hand over Luffy's mouth. Sanji rolled his eyes as the two easily revealed each other's names. At least he wouldn't be to blame if they got stalked by two cloaked, masked guys. "We should just go! Okay? Okay, we'll leave! Sorry for intruding on your land, seeyalaterbye!" Ussop grabbed hold of Luffy's short sleeve and Sanji's jacket and yanked them to the side to go around the cloaked figures.

Somehow, their masks didn't hide a spark of amusement that Sanji saw in those two figures. "They're yanking your chain, Ussop. They aren't groundskeepers." Sanji said flatly, planting his feet. They came there with a mission, after all, and random strangers with weird disguises couldn't very well tell them to leave.

"It isn't working." The taller figure said quietly, shifting under his cloak. The smaller one shook its head. "Restraint, just remember that."

Before it could be questioned what they were talking about, a sharp metallic sound filled the eerie air. The front of the tall figure's cloak parted, revealing two hands, each one holding a sword.

Ussop wailed in shock and hid behind his two friends. Luffy frowned heavily. "They aren't friendly at all!" He whined, taking a defensive position in front of Ussop. Sanji, meanwhile, studied the swords and the man wielding them. _Who uses swords anymore?_ Sanji thought, narrowing his eyes at the figure.

"We-we-we-we're l-l-l-l-leaving already! Right? Guys? Come on, let's go!"

"No." Sanji said simply, retrieving another cigarette from the breast pocket of his jacket.

"What do you mean 'no'? Please forgive my friend, he's been kicked in the head one too many- OW!" Sanji silenced him by hitting his knee with the back of his shoe. Luffy was uncharacteristically silent as he observed.

"I'll ask once more; what are you doing here?" The taller figure asked, threateningly. The smaller one beside him squeaked and yanked on the taller's cloak.

Sanji lit his cigarette as slowly as humanly possible and inhaled once before responding. "None of your _fucking_ business." He stated, putting his hands in his pockets calmly. Luffy made a weird noise and put his hand on Sanji's shoulder. "Don't." He ordered, quiet and level. That in itself gave Sanji pause.

"No?" He questioned, looking at Luffy without turning his head. Luffy grinned, "Nope!"

Sanji knew he couldn't question Luffy's order, but, something was pissing him off. None of it seemed right, whatever 'it' was. "Fine," Sanji huffed. "You guys go on, I'll be last."

Ussop sighed dramatically. "Oh, thank goodness! I actually thought you were gonna fight!" The long-nose cried, dragging Luffy along behind him. Luffy eyed Sanji in a way that made the cook sigh in defeat. It was a command, as the leader/Captain of their group, not to fight. "I get it already." Sanji mumbled, walking backwards behind Luffy and Ussop.

-~Switching~-

He's still looking at me,

****Zoro thought, following the blonde with his eyes and infinitesimally shifting his swords in the same direction. Whatever it was about that blonde that had him on edge, it was getting old. He was blaming the eyebrow.****

"We should follow them. Just to make sure they leave without disturbing anyone." Chopper said, flinging his cape back so he could walk without tripping over it. Zoro saw the blonde's weird eyebrow raise slightly as Chopper started towards them.

The human with the long nose, Ussop, as he'd been called, and the human with a straw hat, Luffy, as he'd been called, started walking a little faster. They were talking to each other quietly, but, Zoro could hear every word. The long nose was scared that they were being followed by 'those devil-worshipers', and the straw hat said not to worry about it. This had Zoro curious.

"They think they can beat us?" Zoro questioned in a whisper, his fingers habitually flexing around the swords he still held.

"That doesn't mean you need to do anything about it. Zoro, they're just humans." Chopper said, frowning in agitation. "I don't think they're armed, anyway."

Zoro just grunted as a response.

"You two got the time?" The blonde asked, turning his head to the side as if to address his friends, but, still keeping his eye on their followers. He continued to walk backwards behind his friends. Zoro found that more than irksome.

Luffy pulled out a small device with a bright light, like many Zoro saw with people at his shrine, and announced it was a quarter to seven. "Well, damn." The blonde mumbled, dropping the cylinder of ash from his lips into the tall, damp grass. He paused a moment to stamp it out before resuming with his full focus on Zoro.

The swordsman quickly became uneasy with that eye staring right at him. It was almost as if he was being recognized. Which, of course, could be a possibility, but, he felt as if the blonde was seeing more than he should.

Suddenly, the blonde turned to the right. "Don't mess with that!" He shouted. Zoro realized he was yelling at Luffy for straying over towards the old funeral parlor. "I'm just lookiiiiing!" Luffy called with a grin.

Zoro intercepted him at the door, swords held dangerously close to the other's throat. "Back off." He growled.

"Zoro! Stop that!" Chopper screamed. Zoro wished his friend could see the look he was giving him. There were too many things inside the decrepit building that humans couldn't know about. He couldn't just let it be.

Luffy swallowed hard and took an awkward step back. He put his hands up in front of himself in a weak defense and surrender. "Zoro, right? You aren't very friendly." He mumbled, staring right at Zoro's face, instead of at the glinting blades less than an inch from his skin.

"Idiot. I told you not to mess with it!" Luffy yelped as he was yanked backwards by the angry blonde. "I was just loooookiiiing!" Luffy whined, fidgeting to get away from the blonde's hold on the back of his shirt.

The blonde examined Luffy's neck and sighed. "Good. Now, to the exit, botha ya!" Seemingly assured of his friend's safety, the blonde pushed Luffy towards the long-nose, whose knees and teeth were chattering equally. "I can't take much more of this." The blonde mumbled, glaring at Zoro as he turned to his friends.

Needless to say, after that display, the humans were taking extra-special care not to disturb anything. _Except the blonde one, damn him_. Zoro watched the blonde man put his hand on every headstone as he passed it, brushing off leaves and such. Almost as if he was _trying_ to provoke him.

Zoro shook his head. Of _course_ the human was trying to provoke him. It would make sense, though, because Zoro was frustrated as hell with that blonde's attitude, and he didn't just dislike people without a reason. Being provoked is a good enough reason. Though that meant he couldn't fight the blonde. That would be forfeiting any upper-hand he might have had by being above fighting the blonde. Unless, of course, Zoro kicked his ass.

"Thank goodness." Chopper sighed, bringing Zoro out of his thoughts. The swordsman had to blink for a moment until he realized what Chopper was talking about. The humans were outside the gate and retreating into the night. "I thought they'd never leave!"

"Uh. Yeah." Zoro said, unsure how to respond to that. He untied his mask and tossed it over his shoulder. "We've got to get out of here quickly now, Chopper."

"Hm? Oh! Oh, right! You go on home; I'll walk the rest of the way by myself!" Chopper spoke quickly, scooping his basket of medicinal plants off the ground and starting in the direction of his own home. "Just... just be nice to her, okay?" Chopper said over his shoulder.

Zoro snorted. "I'll see what I can do." He said, rolling his eyes. He couldn't feel her presence, but, he knew she'd be near. Maybe even waiting at his shrine for him to return. She'd never punish Chopper, so, that must be it. Great.

As soon as they parted ways, Zoro could practically smell her. That witch was probably only going to mess with his head instead of actually punishing him for invading sacred ground. He wouldn't avoid it either way, but, a pawn of the higher-ups really should be a little less... completely evil. She took far too much joy in fucking with his mind.

Her presence was well-hidden, but, Zoro could still feel it. It was in his forest, dallying near his shrine. Perhaps the most annoying thing in existence. No, not quite. The most annoying thing in existence is her smile as she taunts him.

"*Okaeri-nasai."

Zoro stopped. He wasn't going to respond to her; that only seemed to encourage her mind-games.

"Ah, not happy, I see. What a shame." He could hear the smile in his voice. He narrowed his eyes in her general direction.

"Oh, Swordsman-san. You know why I'm here, right?"

*** Okaeri-nasai - Welcome back, Welcome home.**

**O.o Wuzzat? xD I have to say; the chapter didn't go quite as I planned, (I had wanted to do a fight scene, but, it never seemed to fit, so Dx), but, I think it turned out okay. There'll be more progress in the next couple of chapters, especially on Zoro's side, so, I hope you stick with it that long! xD**

**Ciao~**


	7. Auch Wenn Du Schlaefst

**Yahaha, this one ran long again! Oh, well. There were some things I could have taken out, but, I like the way they fit, so, there you have it. I did plan to have this up a couple of days ago, but... Nyeh, I had stuff to do. xD**

**Anyways, here's the chapter! Enjoy!**

_"I've got a couple of guesses." Zoro said, lifting his face slightly when she emerged from the shadow of his shrine. She smiled at him. "Quite a lovely cape." She said, covering her smile with her fingers as she laughed._

_Zoro scowled. "Cut the crap, woman. If you're only here to comment on my clothes, then you can get the hell out."_

_"Hmm. You've always had such a short temper with me. I suppose it can't be helped." She tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder. "You went into the graveyard this evening?" She phrased it as a question, but, Zoro knew that she already knew the answer._

_"Yeah."_

_"With Doctor-san?"_

_"I made him come with me."_

_"I see. And... You impersonated a groundskeeper?"_

_"..."_

_"Hm. Now what else was I going to ask you? Oh, right. Have you taken an interest in humans?"_

_"Not the way you have."_

_"Oh?" She smiled wider and leaned against Zoro's shrine. "In what way, then, Swordsman-san?"_

_"Che." Zoro glared at her as he pulled the two swords from his waistband. "Here. These are yours." He threw them down at her feet. He wanted to get into his shrine and go to bed, but, that wouldn't work out. Not with her standing just outside._

_She bent down and delicately picked up the swords. She nodded her thanks, tucking them under her arm. "I will not tell the others about your divergence from the rules. I will, however, be requesting some compensation on your part."_

_Zoro narrowed his eyes at her. "What, Robin?" He asked, not terribly surprised that she wanted a favor rather than to punish him. That had always been her game, anyway._

_"I would like for you to learn more... about those interesting humans. They are acquaintances of mine, but, I believe you would fit more so than I in their group."_

Zoro woke for what must have been the eighth time. He hadn't been able to sleep properly since Robin left. And, that was days ago. He hadn't acted on what Robin told him to do, oh, God, no. He wouldn't do that. But, he thought about it. Constantly. _I mean, me, with a group of humans? That shitty-brow, no less._

The swordsman stood up and stretched the sleep from his muscles. He definitely needed to think. To train. To not be so damn indecisive about talking to humans that he... already spoke to. Zoro mentally cursed himself for being slow. It hadn't occurred to him before that he had already talked to and threatened the three humans, Luffy, Ussop, and Blondie.

Now that _really_ screwed him. What if they recognized his voice? Or, better yet, Blondie knew what he looked like; he could recognize him and tell his friends not to associate with Zoro. Not that Zoro particularly cared whether or not he stuck to Robin's 'suggestion'. He really didn't want to get too attached to any humans, let alone grave-robbing, trespassing humans. _Oh, right, they have the artifacts... FUCK!_

"Fucking brain!" Zoro groaned, stomping out of his shrine and sliding the door shut behind himself.

"-and then he was like, 'you lie!' and I laughed at him like, 'ohoho, you wish!'" Ussop bragged, pausing only to shovel some more rice into his mouth. "I threw my cards down on the table, and he cried at his downfall! 'Champion my ass', I said, 'no better than a baby!'"

Luffy's jaw dropped, revealing half his lunch. "Rea'y? 'At's sho cool!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "You two are idiots." She groaned, resting her head on her arms that were crossed over the table. She glared at the sleeping cook across from her and kicked his leg under the table. "How dare you leave me alone with them?" She hissed, hoping that Sanji could hear her from within his dream world.

She didn't know why she ever agreed to go anywhere with Luffy and Ussop. She was like their babysitter, and it was annoying as hell. They would just talk and talk and talk about annoying stuff, and goof off like stupid kids. It was better when she split the job with Sanji, but, for the blonde to fall asleep? At his own restaurant, no less? He'd owe her big for that.

Nami sat back in her seat, munching on her deluxe parfait dessert and pondering how she would make Sanji pay her back. Money was too straightforward, although she never disliked receiving money. Guilt could do a lot of things, but, Sanji's guilt was the weirdest, and mostly consisted of food. Causing her to gain weight wouldn't alleviate his debt. Maybe clothes. There was nothing she had her mind set on, but, Sanji always had a way to find the most extravagant apparel, so, maybe there was a nice gown he could get her.

Sanji snored lightly, turning his head to face the window. Nami frowned. _I wonder what he's been thinking about, lately. He must be stressed out, to be tired enough to sleep through the chattering of _those_ two._ Absently, she reached out and pet the mop of blonde hair that was splayed on the tabletop. An idea struck as she was loosely braiding a lock of Sanji's hair. "Hey! Do you two know how to braid?" She asked, looking from Luffy to Ussop and back again.

"Umm... My dad showed me how to make a braided rope...?" Ussop offered, looking at Luffy with a very unsure expression. Luffy shook his head and laughed. "Shishishi! That's stupid! Only girls do that!"

"Nuh-uh! My dad said that sailors and pirates and stuff all know how to braid ropes!"

Luffy's jaw dropped. "What? Teach me!"

"Here, practice on Sanji's hair!" Nami offered, smirking when Ussop and Luffy eagerly started knotting together Sanji's hair. He wouldn't be very happy when he woke up, but, it was worth it. She could take a picture of him, asleep with badly braided hair, and hold it over his head at a later date, when she felt he needed to repay his debt. Not to mention the staff were giggling at him already. Oh, yes, this would _quite_ do.

In a matter of fifteen minutes, Luffy had successfully ruined Sanji's hair, leaving it looking like a blonde bird's nest. The parts that Ussop and Nami had been working somehow got sucked into the mass of tangled hair that was Luffy's best efforts. "It'll have to do." Nami sighed, whipping out her cell phone and snapping pictures of a few different angles of Sanji.

"I think it's good!" Luffy announced, nodding. Ussop shook his head. "The only good part about this will be Sanji's reaction." He sighed, laughing at the humor found in his friend's epic failure.

"Shh! Don't wake him up, yet!" Nami shushed harshly, as she dipped some yogurt out of her parfait and drew a curly moustache on Sanji. The cook mumbled something in his sleep and rubbed his nose. Nami held her breath as Sanji repositioned himself and started snoring softly again. "...There." She said, swirling the pink-tinted yogurt so that both sides were equally curly and taking one last picture. "Now, you guys can do whatever you like and wake him up, I'm finished." Immediately, Ussop and Luffy exploded into laughter.

Sanji sat up with a start and looked around, eyes droopy with sleep. "Hmm...? Oh. Nami-san, you should've woken me! I apologize that I fell aslee-..." He paused looking at his friends who were giggling, and various people around the restaurant who were pointing at him and stifling laughter. "What?"

"N-nothing, Sanji-kun! Really! What were you saying?" Nami asked, quickly stuffing her smiling mouth with a spoonful of fruit. Sanji narrowed his eyes at that. He stood up, sliding his chair back in the process, and walked briskly to the bathroom.

"_WHAT THE FUCK?_" Sanji screamed, and Nami, Ussop and Luffy couldn't hold it in any longer.

It should have been easy enough to follow the smell. 'Should have' being the keywords. Zoro looked around at the buildings and the people and the cars and he couldn't recognize any of it. He could still smell the object of his searches, but, faintly. He'd obviously taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Funny, I used to know this place like the back of my hand.

****Zoro thought, looking at the back of his hand in a pitiful attempt to know his surroundings the same way. It didn't work, of course, so he dropped his arm at his side and continued in the direction, he hoped, of the people he was searching for.****

It was just past noon on an unusually warm April day, and the streets were busier than usual. Everyone seemed to have a definite goal and destination. Everyone seemed happy and beyond worry. Zoro was certainly proud of the island to have gotten better over the decades since he last visited, but, he felt like he was sticking out too much. Like, people were staring at him. _Well, part of that isn't too different..._ Zoro thought, grimacing slightly. He'd been told on more than a few occasions that his clothes were weird, and his atmosphere imposing. Not to mention people's reactions to his hair.

Zoro shook his head. _How, in this day and age, could green hair be considered strange?_ It was beyond him. Many of the humans inhabiting that island were very strange looking, but he didn't say anything to them. Unless he was pissed off. In that case, let the insults fly. But, normally he kept his thoughts to himself.

The bustling town soon gave way to a calmer area, though equally populated. There were more mature demographics for that area, fancier clothing, finer cuisine, even a few tech shops. As much as Zoro hated the pompous types that inhabited that place, he didn't mind the break from children. They were cute, but the little fuckers could _talk_.

People tried to hand him tacky-looking fliers for events that were one day only and cost a shitload of money, but Zoro passed by them with nothing but a cold glance in their general direction. He quickly decided that this part of the island was not one he preferred. However, preference or not, he could better smell the familiar scents he was tracking. It seemed that they were together, which would make things immensely easier.

Zoro could sense them now; pick out their identifying presences through those of the other humans in the square. They were definitely somewhere nearby. Perhaps in one of the shops. He couldn't quite tell. As people entered and exited the stores, touching the same door as thousands of others, they tended to drag presences with them. Restaurants and food stands didn't help, because they carried a heavy food smell, sickening almost, that masked most everything else. He would have to rely on his eyes a bit more for the task at hand.

"_WHAT THE FUCK?_" Or not.

He recognized that voice without really having to think about it, and his head snapped towards its origin. A very shocked group of people were stopped just outside of the open door to a restaurant; better than a neon sign in Zoro's opinion.

The restaurant wasn't too far from where he was, so it didn't take him long to reach the glass double-doors to the two-story building. It had a classy exterior, light blue in color with deep brown wooden moldings around the window, doors and about the middle where he assumed the second story began. It was a rather charming place for a modern restaurant, (except for that weird fish hanging on the front of the building that was staring at Zoro; it was evil).

He weaved passed the startled customers at the front of the establishment and was greeted by raucous laughter at the second table to the left of the front entrance. He could see the back of a straw-hat, and the front of a very strange nose. They looked different in daylight, while they were laughing, but, Zoro still knew who it was. A girl with short orange hair was sitting next to the straw-hat, but, he didn't know her, nor did he care.

"_That's not funny you little jackasses!_"  
>"Oi! Shut up, ass-wipe, yer scaring off the customers!"<p>

"_No, your face is doing that, bastard!_"

"You wanna go, shithead?"

No reply came that time, and that had half the chefs laughing. Zoro didn't know what all the fuss was about, but, he wouldn't mind seeing whatever was so funny at the expense of the blonde.

"_You guys know I'm gonna fucking kill you, right?_" The blonde called out again. Zoro looked to a door, the men's restroom as displayed by the blue person on the sign, where the distressed voice was coming from. A man came out of the men's room with a giant lump on the top of his head, mumbling to himself as he returned to his table with a woman who giggled upon seeing him.

A couple of odd-looking employees went around the room apologizing for the commotion and the language, and at the same time one of them was flirting with the female customers. Zoro shook his head as most of the customers seemed to take this as a common occurrence. Humans were strange, he knew, but this particular building seemed to contain some of the stranger ones.

The walls were a warm color that Zoro couldn't quite place, and the floor was a shiny white marble, (an imitation, to Zoro's experienced eyes). The square tables were covered with red-and-white checkered tablecloths turned so that the corners hung off the flat ends of the table, and the chairs were a lighter wood with leather cushions for easy cleaning. There was a whole wall devoted to colorful liquor bottles behind a spotless bar. That was the selling point, seeing as there were already people sitting there drinking, in the middle of the day.

Zoro was about to make a bee-line for the bar when a flushed and fuming blonde stomped out of the bathroom and over to his friends who were, despite the blonde's furious glare, still laughing. He raised his leg high above his head and dropped his heel on the top of the straw hat, and Zoro felt his jaw drop slightly.

"Luff- ow!" The long nose was reduced to a pile draping across the empty seat to his right. "You shut up, too!" The blonde growled. In the blink of an eye, he'd straightened up his posture, adjusted his tie and turned to the redhead sitting unfazed in the corner seat by the window. "Forgive me, my Love, for my outrageous behavior," He said, bowing low and kissing her hand. "But, those two imbeciles deserved it."

"Oh, I'm sure. All's forgiven!" The redhead announced, grinning and taking her hand back.

"But, it was her idea!" Luffy whined, followed by a yelp when he was heel-dropped again.

"Such a class-less act, blaming a lady!" The blonde scolded, stomping Luffy's head a few more times.

Zoro watched in amusement, forgetting any task he might have had as the blonde and the straw-hat bickered loudly. Very few of the people in the restaurant seemed put-out by the display, so Zoro decided it was too weird for him to be standing in the middle of nothing watching them and he took a seat at the bar. He bought a whole bottle of sake, and sat back to watch the interesting humans, only to find that the blonde was gone. He was still in the restaurant, Zoro could tell, but, in the back somewhere. _Is he a waiter or something?_

The blonde's friends were all still seated at their table, goofing off rather than eating. The straw-hat seemed to be staring at him a lot, but, he just ignored him. Lots of people stared at him, after all. He would probably end up having to talk to Luffy, but, he wanted to wait until they were all back together. _Though, I wouldn't mind if that chick were gone..._ Zoro sipped his sake absently, watching the seemingly bossy redhead. He hadn't met her, but he didn't like her.

Zoro started getting bored after a few minutes and half a bottle of sake. He didn't want to just walk up to the group at the table and have to re-introduce himself later when the blonde turned up again. Although he wasn't particularly looking forward to introducing himself to any human, let alone a group of adolescents.

"Luffy, don't!" The redhead's annoying voice cut through his thoughts and Zoro turned to glare at her only to be met with the grinning face of someone else entirely. "Hi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Your hair is weird!"

Zoro stared at Luffy like he had horns growing out of his face. "Uhh... Okay. Thanks?"  
>"What's your name?" Luffy asked, still grinning as he took up the barstool right next to Zoro.<p>

"Roronoa Zoro." He stated, reflexively. He was beyond confused at the behavioral display put before him.

"Oh! That's a cool name! C'mon, you can sit at our table with us!" Luffy announced, grabbing Zoro by the arm, hopping off his barstool and dragging the befuddled swordsman over to the table with his friends. "You guys, this is Zoro! Zoro, this is Nami, and that's Ussop!" Luffy introduced, pointing at each person respectively when he said their name.

"L-L-L-Luffy! He looks like a criminal!" Ussop whispered, harshly. Zoro could hear him, of course, so he glared at him, causing the long-nose to yelp. "See? You can't want someone like that to be your friend!"

"Exactly. Luffy, how many times have I told you not to randomly decide people are your friends? We don't know him!" Nami said, being very open about telling Zoro that he wasn't their friend. "Oh? Zoro, you aren't my friend?" Luffy asked, pouting.

"You!"

-~Switching~-

Sanji's eyes were wide his eyebrows knitted together. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him, he knew, but, he also knew that Luffy of all people would definitely take a shine to that guy, if only for his appearance. And, there they were, looking right back at him, the Moss head imitating his expression.

"What. The. Hell." Sanji managed, his shocked face giving way to a frown. Luffy threw his head back and laughed, watching the staring contest of sorts between the Marimo and Sanji. "Oh, so you two know each other already? That decides it, Zoro, you're our friend now!"

Nami made a sound to get Luffy's attention, "I don't think they're friends, Luffy." She said, sliding her glass across the table and away from Zoro. Ussop nodded, scooting over to the empty chair closest to the window, leaning as far away from the two as he could.

"You're that shitty-brow."

"You're that Marimo bastard."

"The fuck? You wanna fight, shithead?"

"Bring it on, you fucking plant!"

Zoro had been about to retort when Sanji was thrown across the room and hit the wall. "You're disturbing business, you annoying little Eggplant!"

Sanji groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor and glared at Zeff, who was glaring at Zoro. "You here to eat?" Zeff asked. Zoro replied in the negative and Zeff frowned. "Then get the hell out!"

Zoro complied, shooting a challenging glare at Sanji before leaving, followed closely by Luffy. Nami and Ussop quickly followed, waving a quick good-bye to Sanji. When the door shut behind them, Sanji yelled, "What the hell, old man? I was fucking handling it!"

"You're a thousand years too early to be talking to me like that! Get back to work!"

Sanji tossed his jacket in the floor haphazardly before falling into bed. The last few days had drained him completely, and he had a feeling that the next few wouldn't let up on him much, if at all. _Why'd he have to pick the fucking rude Marimo? That guy's just annoying!_ Sanji snuggled into his pillow and kicked his shoes off, bushed and frustrated. The only hope he could hold onto was that Zoro was a grown-up; thus not in their school. And that he could fight him. Soon.

That guy's personality was annoying as shit and Sanji would like nothing more than to kick him into oblivion. But, Zoro looked like he could fight, if nothing else. He wasn't a bright guy, but, he had muscles that implied he was well-trained. Not huge muscles like annoying thugs trying to be tough, but not thin like someone who was inexperienced. Oh, no. That Marimo definitely knew how to fight. Sanji just hoped he would pose enough of a challenge, or else the whole ordeal would be nothing but boring.

Sanji smirked as he fell off to sleep. _I'll definitely kick his ass._

**Are? What_ever_ will happen next? xP**

**I don't really have a lot to say about this chapter, except that the next update probably won't be nearly as soon. Oh, and by the way, the title for this chapter means 'Even when you sleep'. I know that's odd, but, I saw this line and I was like 'YES! THAT IS IT!' xD**

**Review please!**


	8. Schön, Sie kennen zu lernen

**Tada! I know, wrong story for a Saturday update, but, this was already mostly done. Is done, I mean. Sort of just filler, but, I like this. It's mostly Zoro, so, sorry if you were hoping for something else. Enjoy!**

"I do appreciate the visit, but, I must admit that it worries me. Is anything wrong, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, placing her coffee on the counter in front of her. Robin smiled and thanked him, sipping at the cream-diluted, caramel drink. She took her time in answering, first shaking her head, and then, "No. No, nothing is wrong, Cook-san. I simply wanted to... speak with you."

Sanji smiled charmingly at her and gestured around the restaurant. "It's a slow morning. I'm free to talk about whatever you'd like, my Lovely Robin-chan~"

The dark-haired woman nodded. "Thank you. I am glad of your open mind, Cook-san. I would like to discuss a man." She stated, quite clearly and with a smile on her face. Sanji had known her for upwards of a year, but, never had he known her to talk about men. Most certainly, not to him.

"I, uh... I don't know if I can be of any assistance to you in that, er... area? But, I'll listen to the best of my abilities." Sanji said, laughing nervously. He didn't want to hear about it if Robin had a boyfriend or something, but he wasn't going to just shoot her down.

"That is a comfort to know, I suppose, but, I believe you've misunderstood. I would like to talk to you about a man, a friend of mine, I suppose, named Roronoa Zoro."

Luffy whistled to himself a funny little tune as he walked quickly, merrily, his flip-flops slapping against the pavement. Nami was talking to him, again, constantly. Why did she talk so much? Well, he wasn't listening, anyway. He was going to see his new friend, with his old friends, and it was going to be the funnest day imaginable. Ussop wasn't very happy about it and Sanji said he was going to be late, but everything else was exactly perfect.

His day was going very well. School was blah, lunch was good, the weather was good, his four o'clock snack was good, and the meeting place, the brilliant, brilliant meeting place he picked, was beyond good. It was awesome. He may just be the smartest guy alive, he thought, grinning to himself.

"-and, anyway, he looks like a grown-up! An adult, Luffy! He could be some kind of pedophile!" Nami ranted, walking round in front of him and pointing a finger at his nose. Luffy blinked at her, blankly. "I don't know what that means!" He announced, grinning again as he stepped around her and began walking with purpose again.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't." She groaned. As he went to pass her, Nami grabbed Ussop's arm. "Aren't you even going to try and convince him anymore? Come on, Ussop! We could all be walking to our doom right now!"

Ussop regarded her with that hopeless expression he wears when he's resigned from any form of will. "He can't be talked out of it. We're destined to die today." He moaned, dragging the toes of his boots noisily across the sidewalk. He walked past Nami, shoulders slumped, facing forward.

"That's your fault Nami, for saying all those bad things about Zoro! You scared Ussop!" Luffy called back at them, over his shoulder. Ussop's head jerked in Luffy's general direction as he shouted, "No, it's your fault, Luffy! You're the one who decided to befriend a serial killer!"

Luffy turned to walk backwards and frowned at Ussop. "He's not a serial killer! You need to be nice, Ussop."

"Don't cross the street like that, you idiot!" Nami screeched, walking briskly forward and grabbing the front of Luffy's vest before he could step backwards off the curb. "And, for all you know, he very well could be a serial killer! Would you want to get yourself and all your friends killed?"

Luffy looked her right in the eyes, grinning. "I've got a feeling about him. He's a good guy, I know it." Luffy assured her, smiling a smile that was so extremely childish, but, at the same time, one that displayed his solidarity on that point. He couldn't be convinced out of believing that Roronoa Zoro was a good man.

He couldn't believe he was there. It was stupid, childish and wrong on so many levels. But, there he stood. Watching. Waiting, actually. Waiting for children, hundreds of years younger than himself. He thought about bailing, but Robin had his number. She'd pull one of her mind games on him, throw him for a loop, and then somehow he'd end up back there, awaiting the same young humans.

Zoro glanced at the clock on top of a streetlamp across the sidewalk from him. It was ten 'til four. The humans, God, they were young, said they got off school just after three. They should be there by now, but, he wasn't worried. He, himself, had a habit of being late. And, adolescents tend to goof off._ I feel older every second I think about those humans..._

He shifted uncomfortably on the solid metal bench. He remembered this place. He could guess where it was Luffy wanted to go from there. The first time he went to that place, he was twenty-four. The island was young, undeveloped. Beautiful. The purity of it all took his breath away at that time and seven times afterward. But, he hadn't been there for a hundred years at least. He couldn't tell if he was nervous, anxious, worried, or excited to see that place again. They were all so similar. When Zoro last saw that place, it was as beautiful as ever, if a little bit louder. As the population grew, the chaos grew. People began to spread out, and some even got so far as to make home on the sea. He hoped they hadn't spread out and ruined his favorite spot on the whole island.

He couldn't really hope, and he knew he shouldn't, but, that didn't stop him. He had to hold out some sort of hope that at least one part of the island remained untouched. Unaltered. It broke his heart that almost everything else on the island had changed. Some things for the better, but... He never wanted that place to change.

"ZORO! Sorry we're laaaaaaaate!"

Zoro was startled out of his thoughts by a shouting monkey, headed right at him. He stood from the bench, trying to look somewhat glad to see his new 'friends'. He was tackled by a surprisingly heavy Luffy, causing him to stumble back a little bit from the force and the surprise. "Uh... No... Problem? What are you doing?"

"Giving you an honorary friend hug, of course!" Luffy laughed, hopping back away from Zoro a little bit, seemingly oblivious to the personal space bubble he'd just popped. Zoro inched away from him a bit more before questioning, "Honorary friend? Already?"

"What? Luffy, no! There's a test first, remember?" Ussop's screechy voice carried through the considerable distance that Luffy had put between himself and his friends. Ussop and that redhead, (Mimi or something), were fairly running up to them, stopping just a few feet shy of bumping into Luffy so they could catch their breath.

Zoro had to keep from rolling his eyes at the incredibly human display of losing energy so quickly. "A test?" He questioned, grinning a bit. A test meant they weren't sure about him. If they weren't sure about him, that probably meant they didn't trust him. If they didn't trust him that meant they probably had human, irrational ideas about him. Things like that were almost always bad, but he did love to listen to peoples thoughts about him. They're pretty wild.

"Of course there's a test!" The redhead panted, brushing her hair back off her forehead. "You're a complete stranger. Besides, everyone gets the test."

"But, Zoro already passed the test!" Luffy defended, straightening his straw hat and grinning at his friends. The loud redhead, (Naomi?), scolded Luffy about being too carefree. Somehow, Zoro got the feeling that that happened a lot. It was a little annoying and harsh on the redhead's part, but Luffy didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed over-joyed and, to Zoro's mild amusement, even more carefree.

Watching the scene unfold between Luffy and Nellie, Zoro heard the long nose having a conversation with someone unseen; something that he learned was possible only because of the small, oddly-shaped device. "Yeah... Okay, well, I think we're gonna go ahead... He gave it to me, obviously! I'm not some pick-pocket like Nami!" There was a long pause before Ussop spoke again to his device, possibly because he was punched in the head by that angry chick, Nami. "She already got me for that, thanks! See ya... Bye." The small device snapped closed into an even more compact form of itself, and the conversation was over. Zoro briefly wondered who was so interesting to talk to and if they had a similar small device.

"C'mon, we have to hurry!" Luffy said, suddenly, leaping towards a small trail of bald-spots in the grass where people walked with some regularity. A thick line of tall bushes hid the rest of the path, but, they all already knew that, and they led Zoro through the thinnest part in the bushes. "If we don't leave now, we'll never get home in time for dinner!"

"Is that really the most important thing right now? I want to get home while it's still light outside!" Ussop said, stopping and tying a stray branch back against the trunk of a different tree with a blue string that looked to have been there a while. A few steps behind him, Nami pulled a large bag from under the bushes towards the drop-off, the edge of the path that became a sort of cliff. "We've got hours, Ussop. Oh yeah, what did Sanji say?"

Zoro couldn't tell, but he could practically hear Ussop roll his eyes. "He said he gets off work in twenty, and then he asked why I answered Luffy's phone."

"You have my phone? I've been looking everywhere for that!"

"Idiot! You gave it to me days ago! You didn't even remember until now!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Nami sighed in frustration as Luffy and Ussop bickered like seven-year-olds. She looked over her shoulder at Zoro, who was looking past the plants at the body of water he anticipated to still be there. It had been over a hundred years, but he was pretty sure large bodies of water didn't just evaporate.

"Have you been here before, Zoro?" Nami asked, a little too familiar for Zoro's comfort. He shrugged. "A long time ago." Was all he said, causing all three humans to look back at him. Luffy's jaw seemed to unhinge as he stared at Zoro. "You mean you've been here already? When?" He asked, incredulous.

Zoro rolled his head around on his shoulders. "A long time ago and that's all I'm saying."

Suddenly, Ussop gasped. "You haven't seen _that_ place, have you?" The long nose shouted. He and Luffy booked it out of there, forward and down a steep hill, shouting about surprises. Nami dropped her forehead in her hands. Zoro asked her what they were talking about and Nami looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

She sighed quietly before answering; "Nothing, nothing. Just... you better be a good guy." Nami said, lifting her head and looking at him seriously. Zoro saw in her eyes something that made him straighten up. Something that scared him on some level, but he admired nonetheless. He couldn't quite be sure, but it looked like protectiveness. For her friends.

"You think I really passed 'the test' already?" Zoro asked, lifting his chin in the general direction that Luffy and Ussop had disappeared in. They started walking as Nami shook her head. "I know you have." She said, then quickly added, "But, you still have to convince me!"

Zoro shook his head. He wasn't going to say he liked her, but Zoro certainly could respect that woman, on some level.

"C'mon Zoro! Nami, bring the bag!" Luffy called, distant and somewhat echo-ish.

Zoro had trouble containing himself as he stepped down the hill sideways. It was just as he remembered it, only with more grass. The fist-sized grey stones that started on level ground were the path through a thicker patch of bushes. Zoro remembered the last time he was there; there were hardly any bushes at all, let alone these large ones, crawling with honeysuckle. But, it was a good change, one that added to the adventure of it all.

There was a five-foot inlet of shallow water, two inches deep at the most, with pebbles and mud on either side of it, wrapping around until pebbles met sand. Zoro could smell the water, the flowers, and the animals. All of it, everything, absolutely pure. It was all he could've hoped for.

"This way, Zoro! I can see you from here!" Luffy called, much closer. Zoro looked up and to the left and his trained expression fell away into shock. Where there used to be a shallow pool of water, home to all kinds of small, mysterious, ocean-dwelling creatures, there was now a pier. Wooden, held up by a rickety-looking structure, starting on three feet of sand and going out for a few yards. It didn't look new, but Zoro could tell it hadn't been there for even half of the time that he was away from that place.

"Where did that come from?" Zoro asked, dumbly, gesturing towards the pier. Luffy and Ussop ran all the way to the end of it, and that's when Zoro noticed a much bigger, much more out of place object. A ship, a small carousel ship with the head of a ram or something. Painted on the main sail was a skull with a straw hat, and there was a large orange bush at the back of the ship. Zoro's mind completely blanked and all he could do was stare.

Ussop and Luffy were talking, grinning, but he couldn't hear them. He wasn't focused. Not on them, anyway. That place, his sanctuary from once upon a time... It was, if possible, even more beautiful than the last time he was there. Than the first time he was there.

"-to me! Isn't it awesome? It's like a real pirate ship!" Ussop was climbing up a rope ladder tied to the edge of the ship as he spoke. Zoro agreed absently, but Luffy's shout covered it up; "'Like' a pirate ship? It is a pirate ship! We've got a symbol and everything!"

Nami joined their conversation, but Zoro was beyond noticing. The cove, as they called it when his age was covered in only two digits, was a large crescent rock formation, hundreds of feet high at its peak. It was overgrowing with plants all around the tops of the rocks. He could hear the waves in the distance, past the tips of the crescent, leading out to the wide open ocean. To freedom.

"Hey, Moss ball. What's with the spacey look?"

Zoro took a sharp breath, but that was his only display of shock. He turned around, paying brief notice to that fact that he'd been walking the whole time he was thinking and ended up just a few steps away from the pier, and faced the blonde. "Shut up. I haven't been here in forever, I'm just..."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. I never expected a plant to stay fully conscious, that's just too much to ask." The blonde said, smirking as he extinguished his cigarette in the sand. "Admiring the Going Merry?"

"The what?" Zoro asked. The blonde pointed past him, at the little sheep-ship. "Oh. Yeah, guess so. That thing is... wow."

"Yeah. Totally badass, right?"

Zoro laughed. "Exactly what I was thinking."

"Ew. Never mind, I take it back." The blonde laughed when Zoro glared at him, un-amused. "Joking, joking."

Zoro rolled his eyes and turned back to the ship. Luffy was yelling at him about checking something out on board, and Zoro was honestly interested to see it. He hadn't been on a ship in at least seventy years. "I'm coming! God, be a little more annoying..." Zoro groaned, shaking his head. He could only tolerate that kid's energy for so long.

"Hey, he's my friend, ya know! And, he can come through on that 'more annoying' thing, so don't even pretend like that." The blonde said, still smirking as he passed Zoro and stepped onto the pier. The behavior didn't go unnoticed. Zoro was more than a little suspicious that someone as hot-tempered as that blonde was suddenly smiling and making jokes. Something was up.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the blonde, who was, surprisingly, looking at him as well. "What are you up to?" Zoro asked suspiciously.

The blonde's smile faltered for a second, and Zoro got even more suspicious. The blonde man seemed to mull over something in his head for a minute, then shrugged. "Robin-chan, ever the lady that she is, asked me to give you a chance. Said that if you were gonna be Luffy's friend, I shouldn't try to kill you."

"Huh. That's good of her. I don't trust that witch." Zoro said, plainly. The blonde gave him a hard look, something he took as common place when it came to defending women. "She's got some other plan, I just know it. We aren't friends, you're a bastard."

"Actually, I'm Sanji, thanks for asking." The blonde snapped, narrowing his eyes at Zoro. "And, no, we aren't friends. But, I promised Robin-chan that I would at least try not to start a fight. Thank you for your contribution. Go to hell." And with that, Sanji spun around and stalked in the direction of the ship, waving 'hello' to his friends.

Zoro stared after him. Oh, Robin would hear about this. _What is that witch planning?_

__**Well? I don't have much to say about this, and I have quite a lot of writing to do, so, please leave a nice review! Ehhh... That didn't make sense, but, still! Review!**

**Ciao~**


	9. Nun stehen wir hier

**I'msosorryit'! I finished it nice and pretty just for you lovely, oh-so-patient people! Enjoy!**

Days. How many days? God, too many. He was so confused. What was happening? Something bad, he was sure. He had been completely left alone, in utter silence. He could change that at any time, but that would be losing. He had to be strong. He couldn't let her win.

Zoro growled in frustration. It was so annoying. He couldn't be, he really couldn't be. He'd only just met them and they really weren't that special. So, why? Why was he so hung up on the idea of being friends with them? They were annoying and childish and loud and obnoxious, but damn it all, he liked them. No! No, he didn't. _Daaaaamn iiiiiiit._

The chattering outside his shrine wasn't helping much to drown his thoughts. Humans talked about stupid, meaningless things. Even his frie- humans... that he knows... they talk about weird stuff and argue about things that he doesn't get. It was somewhat amusing, in the most irritating sense of the word. He didn't understand why, but it was fun to watch humans disagree with each other. But, he wouldn't be their friend for that purpose alone, no, that was stupid.

He tried to trick himself into not thinking about it, but, it was too late; he was already coming up with reasons to be their friend. They weren't a particularly special group as far as he could tell, but, at the same time, they were the most special humans he'd ever met. That made him curious. He knew the vibe he was getting from those humans was probably an aura, something beyond the surface, maybe even something they, themselves didn't know about. But, Robin knew.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. Whatever it was, however slight, was enough to draw her to them. Maybe even the reason why she wants Zoro to get to know them. She's definitely plotting something. She always is, but this time it pertains to Zoro. In a way. The only things he knew about her plan were that it involved him, a group of young humans and... Zoro frowned. _And?_ He wasn't sure why it did, but the chest crossed his mind. _The chest._

He hadn't heard anything about it since Chopper's visit, days ago, of course, because he didn't keep in touch with the others like Chopper and Robin did. He knew he should care, at least a little bit, but as far as he was concerned, he was no longer one of them. Whatever was really in there didn't concern him anyway. It was just a bunch of legends that may or may not expose all of his kind to the humans.

Zoro snorted. The ones in charge must be really stupid to put 'important' things like that in a place where their kind can't reach it. Obviously it was bound to get stolen. Well, he wouldn't have told them that, and no one's kicking up dirt about the matter, so he really didn't care. But, he still thought about it.

It was confusing. He hated confusing. He had to figure something out. He had to figure out the reason why he thought Robin was planning something involving that chest.

* * *

><p>"Nami-swaaaaaaaan, wait up!" Sanji called, waving for whatever additional help it would provide when aimed at the back of her head. She turned to him, looking somewhat surprised. "I thought you had work today...?" Nami questioned, before narrowing her eyes at Sanji. "You didn't get kicked out again, did you?"<p>

Sanji put up his hands in defense and shook his head. "No, of course not."

"Swear to it?" Nami slowly raised an eyebrow at him and the blonde cracked.

"Okay, yes, but it wasn't my fault. You forgive me, don't you, Nami-san?" He pleaded.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, whatever." She said, waving a dismissive hand as she began walking again. "Start a fight?"

"I told you, it wasn't my fault. No offense, Nami-san, really, I don't mean to sound rude, it's just... not your problem, forgive me." Sanji stumbled over his apologies and Nami stared at him. She gave him a skeptical look and tilted her head to the side. "Important?" She asked. She wasn't particularly interested, but Sanji's face practically spelled 'juicy drama'. Not that she was going to tell him that.

Sanji sighed. "Sort of. Not really. To me, it is, but nobody else cares. I refuse to bore you with my ramblings Nami-swan." He smiled. "So, where were you headed before I so rudely interrupted you?"

Nami frowned, thinking. After a minute, she shrugged. "Nowhere special. You can come if you want, but I'll make you owe me if you don't cooperate fully." Nami said, turning on her heel and walking with purpose towards the bus stop around the corner and down a-ways from their school. Sanji agreed with a smile on his face, following close behind Nami.

~_Fifteen minutes later~_

"Robin's house?" Sanji asked, delighted, though somewhat confused. Nami nodded as she stepped off the bus and started immediately down a different sidewalk. "Shame this is the closest any bus route in the city gets to her place." Nami griped. Sanji agreed, but he was still confused. Nami didn't usually visit Robin by herself. They were friends, yes, but not best friends or anything. Sometimes, Sanji couldn't tell whether they actually got along or not. So, why?

"Nami-san, is there something important happening at Robin's house?"

"I guess you could say that." Nami mumbled, checking each street they passed to see if it was the right turn.

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Okay? Are you going to tell me, Nami-swan?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, Sanji-kun. Besides, from what I hear, you already know what it is."

"I d-?" He paused. Sanji nodded to himself slowly. He had an idea what it was. Hadn't Robin told them all the same things she found? That's what she'd said she was going to do, according to Sanji's memory, so, if Nami knew what he knew and knew that she knew what he knew, then why couldn't she just say it? Sanji was getting very confused. Still, he remained quiet until they were on the archaeologist's front steps.

Nami rapped on the door twice, taking a deep breath and putting on a smile in anticipation. Sanji frowned. That was her conniving, money-grabbing smile. The one she wore most often when she was around Robin.

The door opened a short moment later, showing Robin in one of her many sharp-looking pant-suits holding a coffee mug close to her face. "*Ara? Navigator-san, Cook-san, what brings you here?" She asked, sounding oddly surprised. Sanji didn't often hear genuine surprise in Robin's voice, so, he knew something must have been going on before they showed up.

"Hello, Robin." Nami greeted, briskly. "Expecting your boyfriend?" She grinned briefly before slipping past Robin into the house without an invitation. "N-Nami-san! How could you say that?" Sanji gawked, spluttering at the thought of Robin having a boyfriend. "My apologies, Robin-chan. But, you weren't waiting on your boyfriend, were you?"

"Of course she was!" Nami called, sounding to be far into the house. Robin shook her head calmly and beckoned Sanji into her house. Sanji sighed inwardly, relieved that he hadn't interrupted Robin, and moreso that she wasn't waiting on her boyfriend. That would have been a nightmare.

Robin led Sanji through the front hall and into the sitting room, where Nami was pawing around one of the many bookshelves. The redhead barely glanced at them when they entered the room, instead turning her attention to the desk beneath Robin's wall of windows.

"In a bit of a rush, I see. Is there any reason for that?" Robin asked. Nami shrugged in response.

"Forgive us, Robin-chan," Sanji apologised again, staring at Nami in disbelief. "Are you terribly busy?"

Robin smiled, slightly. "Actually, I was just expecting a visit from a friend." She said smoothly, taking a sip from her coffee mug.

"A friend? Someone from your work?" Sanji asked pleasantly, trying not to sound too curious. He was trying to make up for imposing Nami and himself upon Robin's precious time.

Robin laughed, a quiet, amused sound as if Sanji had told a good joke, and covered her smile with the hand that wasn't occupied holding her cup. "You could say that." Robin said vaguely. Sanji raised a questioning brow, but Robin just shook her head. "He didn't actually say he was dropping by, though. I suppose I can't expect anything when it comes to him." She said thoughtfully, still smiling.

Nami and Sanji both paused to look at her. After a moment, Nami stood from where she'd been going through cabinets and sighed dramatically. "Okay, I give, show me the goods." The redhead gestured widely with her hand.

Robin nodded, her smile changing from amused to the usual something-else-going-on-beneath-the-surface smile. She disappeared into a different hallway and her footsteps slowly quieted as she got to the back of the house. Nami walked quickly over to Sanji and whispered, "She told me she found something she can't understand that she thinks I could help her with."

"That's very kind of her." Sanji said absently, watching the doorway for when Robin returned. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Nami shrugged. "I don't know." Sanji waited for her to say more, but she didn't. The redhead seemed to zone out, until Robin returned to the room, at which point she snapped to attention. Sanji frowned at her behavior, but he let it slip for the moment as Robin held up a stack of papers.

"I hadn't intended for you to bring Cook-san along, Navigator-san, but I do need your help and I don't feel like waiting." Robin said, smiling despite the edge to her voice. It was barely audible, but Sanji could just pick it out. Robin was upset that he was there.

Sanji put on his most charming smile. "I'd ask for your forgiveness again, but I don't believe I'd deserve it, after I so rudely intruded upon what was obviously meant to be a private meeting." The cook said, bowing with a dramatic flourish of his hand. "If you wish, I shall take my leave, Robin-chwan~."

Suddenly, Sanji just knew Robin didn't want him there anymore. Whether it was the look in her eyes, her body language, or her voice, he didn't know, but he wasn't welcome. "I'll call you later, Nami-san!" The blonde announced, walking sideways towards the door and waving at the two women with a few suggestive winks here and there.

Although his face was beginning to hurt with the effort, Sanji couldn't help his smile. He stepped out the door, shutting it gently behind himself, and energetically hopped down the stairs with an unusual bounce in his step. He felt like something was wrong. He hadn't been in a bad mood before, certainly not, being in the same room as both Nami and Robin, but something told him he was being too chipper. He couldn't stop, though, so it must have been an undeniable good mood.

Sanji's smile went down from a broad grin to a small, content smile as he started down the street. He noted inwardly that all the houses looked the same in Robin's neighborhood. It was kind of creepy, now that he was thinking about it. But, it was just a neighborhood. No need to be creeped out, he decided.

The cook was about to begin whistling when he noticed something. Something green. Followed by something tan, then white, and dark green. That was familiar wasn't it? Surely. But that wasn't important. He had to get home.

He decided not to whistle, then, as it occurred to him that he had to get home. As soon as possible. He didn't want to go home, because, damn it all, those ungrateful buffoons were so fucking annoying. But, he had to go home.

-~_Switching_~-

He just walked right past him, with that weird expression. Smiling mouth, frowning eyebrows. It was a little creepy, but no amount of weirdness was outside the realm of possibilities for one of those humans. Zoro shook his head. Truly, that dart-brow was a dumbass.

He could smell Sanji's scent leading all the way back up to Robin's house. It was strong, very strong, but he could still smell another next to it. Something perfume-y and girlish, with an underlying citrus smell. He remembered it, however mixed up it had been when he'd smelled it before, as the redhead with the bad attitude. Nelly, or something. Apparently, Robin really did like the humans.

Zoro walked up the steps lazily and jabbed the button to buzz the doorbell. Robin had picked, perhaps, the worst sounding doorbell. A pleasant ring to humans, but it squealed agonizingly loud, reverberating inside his skull. He hated ringing the bell and hearing it, but he knew it would cause Robin pain to hear it as well.

"_Ah, Swordsman-san_," Robin's voice was muffled. She wasn't moving towards the door, Zoro could tell. She was probably in the sitting room, judging by her sound. "_The door is open. Do come in_."

Zoro hardly waited for her permission. He opened the door and followed the small rustling sounds to the sitting room. Robin was sitting in her pristine white armchair, sipping tea (Something awful and full of smelly herbs), across from the redhead, who was perched on the edge of the couch shuffling through a stack of papers with a very determined look on her face. The coffee table between the two women was cluttered with papers, some that looked very old, and some that were rolled up like scrolls.

Nelly, or whatever her name was, didn't look up. She didn't say anything and she never averted her eyes from the papers. That time, Zoro decided something must be up. "Robin." Zoro greeted, blandly, still watching the other woman. He heard Robin's devious chuckle and frowned. Of course she was amused.

"You did something to them." Zoro stated. It wasn't a question, by any means, but he did want her to answer like it was.

Robin nodded once and took a sip of her tea. "Mm. Yes. It was only neccessary."

"No, it wasn't." Zoro threatened, taking a few steps towards Naomi, (That one sounded closer to her name), and seating himself as far as he could away from her while still sitting on the same couch.

"I believe it was. Unless, of course, your goal was to reveal our species?"

Zoro glared at Robin. "No!" He growled.

Robin smiled at him, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. "I see. So, your goal is... what, then?"

"That was gonna be my question." Zoro said, regaining some composure.

"Oh, wow." The redhead spoke for the first time, studying the papers with a slightly more at ease expression. She spread a few sheets out on top of the other papers on the table, seemingly in a specific order. Robin leaned forward in her chair and watched the redhead assemble her puzzle of papers.

Zoro tried to figure out what she was seeing, but it was just a bunch of squiggly lines. It wasn't any language that he recognized, or anything that resembled a picture. All the paper were yellowing, crinkled and pressed, and there were rips and tears around the edges. They were definitely old. Kind of familiar, too, Zoro thought, but that didn't help him.

"What did you find?" Robin asked, a note of intrigue in her voice. Naomi, (That still didn't sound quite right), looked up at Robin. Her eyes flickered to Zoro before returning back to Robin. "It's alright. He is my acquaintance. What ever you have to say, he may hear it."

Zoro eyed Robin suspiciously, but the moment the redhead spoke, he focused on her. "It's complicated. And old. And incomplete. I can finish it to be sure, but I don't think this is our island." She said, her voice monotonous. "This... I've seen it before. I could get you a more current, complete map of this island, if you'd like?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. And, perhaps, some means of getting there?"

"I can do that. Ussop has a ship docked at an inlet." And suddenly, Zoro remembered what her name was. It was Nami, and she was completely wrapped around Robin's finger.

"I don't know what you're planning, Robin, but you can't use that ship, or the humans!" Zoro snapped, making a lightning-quick movement and snatching up a large handful of the papers. In less than a split-second he'd tucked them into his waistband and picked the redhead up off the couch by her shoulders. His eyes clouded over with the images of her mind, an effect he was very accustomed to.

Robin was standing, suddenly, right beside him. "Don't mess with it, Zoro." She warned, emphasising by using his name. "I've told her to forget what she sees here and return home without question, with only the recollection of falling asleep on the bus on her way there."

Zoro ignored Robin, and stared harder into Nami's mind. Images of maps and islands and ships passed through in fleeting moments. She knew what she was supposed to do, and Robin had very discreetly buried anything Zoro could've used. "You won't remember this little errand of yours. And, you won't get that map for Robin. You won't lead her to the ship, either. She isn't your friend. You don't like her. Return home and, if anyone asks, you were out with a friend." Zoro said, feeling his inner-demon slipping out through his eyes, catching only a flash of the image reflected in Nami's eyes.

The redhead nodded. "I understand." She said, smiling blankly before gathering up her school bag and leaving. As soon as the front door shut behind her, Robin turned her gaze on Zoro. She was smiling, but Zoro could see the scathing emotions behind her darkening blue eyes. "I suggest you leave." She said in a sugary sweet tone.

"No need to tell me twice." Zoro said, his voice threateningly low. Robin didn't bat an eye as he glared at her. After a moment, Zoro walked around her, papers still in his haramaki, and left without another word. He'd gotten all the information he was going to get, for the time being. But, Robin would let go of whatever grudge she had just formed and she would call upon his assisstance in her plan. And he would await that moment with a grin on his face.

But, currently, he needed to keep a close eye on the humans that weren't supposed to be involved in the goings-on of the demon world.

*** Ara - Huh? What? Oh? (I meant for it to mean 'Oh?' coming from Robin.)**

**I really, really apologize for the late update! I'm afraid the next one may be a little delayed as well, seeing as I just got a job. It'll only be for a few weeks, so, I promise, in that time I'll come up woth something good.**

**Oh, and, pleeeeeeease don't kill me about the similarities between what Zoro just did to Nami and 'compulsion' in Vampire Diaries. It's not entirely similar, but, I'll have to elaborate later on. In any case, the plot is developing nicely, and I will have to come up with more abilities for the Demons because HOLYSHITZOROISAWESOME! ... Just sayin'. xD**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED~!**


	10. Ich bin der dunkle Held,

**New chapter! It's a good one, too. Ufufufu, watch out for awesomeness! I wish I could've done some more with it, though, but, if I'd dragged it out anymore it would've been too long. Anyways... Enjoy!**

The redhead, Nami, had gotten home okay, Zoro made sure. He spent the next day or two watching over her, since she seemed to have the abilities Robin was looking to use. She was probably the most evil and boring human woman he'd ever known. She talked constantly in her annoying banshee voice, always on the phone with someone. She was always scribbling something with a quill pen, too. Zoro really didn't get her, but he didn't care to stay any longer and learn. So, he moved on to Sanji's house.

That place was never boring.

Several times a day, every day for a week, Zoro watched Sanji get into fights with the 'chefs of the sea'. Each of the straw hat's group of friends entered the restaurant regularly, apparently including Robin. He was annoyed by that, because he knew that she knew he was there, watching.

_She probably flatters herself thinking I'm following her._ Zoro thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. After all, his scent was mixing with hers in the air. He could smell it, just as she could and, if he didn't already know what he was there for, he might think he was following her, too. But, he didn't care.

As of that moment, the long nose and the straw hat made themselves known and entered the Baratie, greeting everyone loudly. Zoro was across the busy street, on top of a four-story building and he could still hear every word they said. Let that be a testament to their loudness, over the noise of the restaurant and the other establishments in the area.

Zoro could barely see anything through the windows at that angle, but he could hear that Sanji was talking to them. _He's not a very good waiter if he has time to chat with his friends.._. Zoro thought, closing his eyes and focusing his ears in on the conversation.

_"Yeah! We should do that! I have some stuff on the ship already!" _Ussop.

_"Cool! I'm gonna invite Zoro! Wait, do you guys know his number?_" Luffy.

_"I don't think he has a phone._" Sanji.

_"What? That's not even possible!_" Luffy.

_"Yeah, Sanji, don't be stupid! Everyone has a phone!"_ Ussop.

A pause. _"Whatever. No, I don't know his number."_ Sanji.

_"Damn. His address?"_ Luffy.

_"Luffy, why're you trying so hard to reach this guy?_" Sanji. Zoro frowned. Wasn't he their friend? Oh, wait. No, never mind.

_"Hmm... I guess if I think about it, he was kind of annoyed with us._" Ussop.

_"No! He's our friend! Besides, I'm not annoying."_ Zoro couldn't help but to laugh at that. Luffy was very annoying.

Sanji and Ussop laughed and then Ussop and Luffy continued conversation, but Zoro couldn't hear Sanji. He was half tempted to think that was a bad sign, if he hadn't realized that the blonde was probably working.

The next few hours passed like that. Zoro made himself comfortable, stretching out and lying down on the rooftop with his ears trained on the Baratie. After an hour or two, Luffy and Ussop had left. Well, not so much 'left' as 'were kicked out'. Apparently the wait staff and the other customers couldn't stand them. Zoro didn't really blame them; Ussop and Luffy were rather irritating.

After they left, the place got a lot quieter. Zoro swore he must have dozed off in the peace, because the next time he heard the voice he'd been listening out for, it was a sigh and 'I'm going to bed'. He sat up and watched as the blonde appeared in a window at the top of the staircase. Sanji pulled his key out of his pocket, unlocked and opened the door. He disappeared for a minute before showing himself again in one of the many porthole windows.

The blonde shed his jacket and tie, (Which Zoro didn't see the point of wearing in the first place), and disappeared again behind the walls. Without thinking, Zoro hopped onto the building next door to his perch and hesitated only a second before jumping clear over the street and onto the jewelry store next door to the Baratie. The building was only two-stories, so Zoro had to duck below the lip of the roof to be able to watch and not get caught.

It was at that point that Zoro realized he was being strange. He'd been keeping a constant eye on Sanji for the past week, so, why was he so compelled to keep watching? What could really happen while the blonde was sleeping? Zoro shook his head. He was being too weird. Certainly he had other things to do.

Just as Zoro went to jump down from the jewelry store roof, he caught a small sound coming from Sanji's room. He stared hard at the window, but those damn blue curtains were in the way. Again, he heard a sound. Was that a beep?

_"... Ah, Robin-chan!"_ Sanji greeted. Zoro focused every one of his senses towards figuring out how that woman snuck past him, but, then he realized; humans have those 'telephone' devices that allow them to speak to people who aren't really there.

_"Oh, I see. No. No, she didn't say anything... A week and a half, huh? ... Well, I can talk to her for you, if you'd like... Yes, Ma'am~! ... Yes... I'll see you~!"_ Sanji swooned, drawing aside the curtains as he closed his talking device. He was smiling and frowning at the same time. Zoro didn't know what to make of that expression. But, he definitely wasn't leaving if it was something to do with the conniving woman.

The blonde hummed to himself and turned his back to the window. _"... How do I know that?_" He mumbled, tapping his fingers on the windowsill annoyingly. Sanji paced back and forth in front of the window slowly, hand to his chin. Zoro was confused. He was there, wasn't he? He'd gone to Robin's house with Nami, right? So, what was he thinking so hard about?

"Damn." Zoro cursed. Robin must have altered the blonde's brain. Then, to turn around and mention something she'd made him forget? It was a rookie move. Something that could potentially damage him. Robin was better than that. What is she planning?

Sanji put his head in his hands and groaned. "What the hell?" He asked, rubbing his face. Then, for no apparent reason, he fell over. Zoro had never seen it happen before, when people defied the orders planted in their brains by demons, but he'd heard a little about it. Enough for him to know he had to help Sanji.

Zoro looked around briefly before leaping over the short alleyway between him and Sanji's window. He undid the latch from the outside, something he'd practiced long ago, and slipped in without a single witness. The blonde was laying face-down in the carpet, completely still except for the faint expansion and contraction of his breathing. Zoro knelt beside him and flipped him over, paying short notice to the look of peace on Sanji's face, and trying to remember how to help.

The last time he'd helped someone that had been influenced by a demon's power was decades ago. He could remember things from a lot longer ago than that, but he really couldn't be sure. He didn't know what herb or root was supposed to work as the cure.

Blood began to stream from Sanji's nose and ears as Zoro sat there, thinking as fast as he could._ Lavender. Lavender fixes this._ He thought quickly, standing up and taking in the smells of his surroundings. There was lavender in there, through the hall and on the right. Zoro didn't bother walking; instead using his demonic speed to dart into what he assumed was the kitchen. He opened a single cabinet and grabbed the small glass jar full of dried lavender flowers and stems. It would have to do.

Zoro grabbed a small wooden bowl and put two lavender flowers in the bottom, leaving the rest in their jar on the counter. He went to the shiny silver faucet and turned knobs until water poured into his bowl, then turning off whatever he'd done to cause that and returning to Sanji's side in less than five seconds.

The blood was now staining Sanji's hair and carpet, making something of a pool of blood around his head. Zoro took a deep breath as he poured the slightly-diluted lavender into Sanji's open mouth and waited. He knew it didn't have instant effects, but he really hoped it would stop the bleeding. Zoro wished he had some Horsetail to add to the remedy, but he wouldn't know where to find it. He mentally kicked himself for not inviting Chopper to stay longer than he had.

Suddenly, Sanji lurched forward, almost to a sit, coughing hoarsely. He had a hand on his stomach and the other was clutching the carpet. God, his head hurt so badly. What the hell even happened to him? He didn't know. He couldn't quite remember what he was doing before he passed out. He could swear he was just coming up for a nap... Was he really that tired?

Sanji felt a warm drip down his face, over his lips. He reached a hand up and felt the substance; almost sure it was the worst runny nose of his life. He pulled back his hand to look at his fingers and his eyes went wide. "What the-!" Sanji looked around himself at the carpet- oh, God, his hair!- and his good shirt and he starts panicking.

He scrambled up and away from the mess on the floor in quite an uncharacteristic sort of way. After a minute just standing there, paralyzed by confusion, shock and a bit of fear, Sanji stormed into the bathroom and flicked on the light. His knees threatened to give out at the sight of himself with blood-soaked hair and streaks of blood on his face, all the way down his neck, trails down from his ears and onto his blue dress shirt.

Sanji slammed the handle up on the sink, scrubbing his hands furiously for minutes, filling the sink with red-stained water. It was scalding hot and possibly burning straight through his hands, but he continued to wash for another five minutes before he decided to just take a shower. He turned the water on to heat up while he un-did the buttons on his shirt and threw it in the sink. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of peroxide and poured a good amount of it on the bloody parts of his shirt. It bubbled up and created a smell in the confined bathroom, (he'd slammed the door shut in his panic), but he just left the thing to sit on the edge of the sink while he shed the rest of his clothing and jumped in the shower, immediately grabbing the shampoo.

~ Outside ~

Zoro knew he probably should have stayed, at least helped explain the situation, but he didn't know what to say. Besides, if he had stayed he would have also had to explain his sudden appearance and how he got in and everything, but his mind was a total blank on cover stories. The blonde wasn't handling it very well by himself, anyway.

When Sanji disappeared into the bathroom, Zoro thought about going to see Robin. He felt like killing her, he was so upset. That really wasn't a stretch, he supposed, since they didn't get along very well, anyway. But, endangering an innocent was too much. Back in the sixteenth century, there were far too many demons using their abilities on innocent people, causing far too many innocent deaths. He, himself, had only ever used his ability a few times, certainly never to hurt a human.

Robin, though. She was absolutely a professional by every definition. So, it wasn't by mistake that she triggered Sanji's hemorrhaging. It was part of her plan. Zoro growled low, without really realizing what he was doing. He hated that he had been right to keep watch over Sanji.

As of that moment, he couldn't decide if he should stay and make sure she didn't try anything else, or confront her in person and beat the living shit out of her, woman or not.

~ Inside ~

Sanji was shaking, despite the fact that it was perfectly warm in his room. He had cleaned up the rather large stain in his carpet, put the towels and his shirt in to wash with loads of bleach, and he even opened a window to air out the sharp smells that were trapped in his room. He doubted he'd ever be able to get them out of his nose, though.

He let out a ragged breath, something he'd been doing too many times to be normal, and sat down on the corner of his bed. He could remember Robin calling him, and having a short conversation with her about Nami. She apparently hadn't heard a word from Nami in a week and a half. He remembered wondering why a week and a half sounded familiar, then, that's where it goes black until he wakes up leaking blood.

Sanji rubbed at his face. What was familiar about a week and a half ago? He knew he'd spoken to Nami that day, and worked an overtime shift at the restaurant after being begrudgingly forgiven for lashing out that morning. There was an empty spot in his memory between getting out of school and getting to work, which he had previously assumed was spent wandering about building up the nerve to go home. But, he couldn't be sure anymore.

His head started to hurt again from thinking about it, so, Sanji stopped thinking about it. His head felt better almost immediately, which didn't make him want to drop the subject, really, because that was beyond strange. He had to figure out what that was about, but, after all that had happened, more than anything, all he wanted was a nap.

~ Outside ~

Zoro breathed a sigh of relief when Sanji's heartbeat finally slowed to a quiet pounding as he drifted off to sleep. For a second there, it looked as if he might cause himself another 'episode'. Zoro wasn't sure how long it would take until it was no longer possible for him to hurt himself just by thinking about his time that Robin had erased.

_Speaking of.._. Zoro thought, glancing to his left, then right. He had to flag her down and implore upon her his standards. She couldn't just go around using people like that, especially human people. And most especially innocent human people.

Silent as a shadow, Zoro disappeared through the city. He moved as fast as he could through the street, following a recent trail left by Robin. It seemed as though she were waiting at his shrine for him, again. Perfect.

When Zoro reached his woods, he slowed down significantly. If he didn't calm himself down, Robin would be in pieces before he got any answers. As it was, he could barely suppress the growl that was sitting in his throat just waiting to break free.

It took only another few minutes' walk to reach his shrine, where Robin was perched on the roof, legs crossed, and elbows on her knee and her chin in her hands. "Ah, Swordsman-san. Why so angry?" She purred, smiling. Zoro felt a twitch in his arm, his subconscious wanting to grab his swords that were dangling from his hip.

"You want to kill him?" Zoro asked, barely more than a growl. His fingers brushed the grip of one of his swords.

Robin laughed, a slightly malicious edge to the chuckle. "No, of course not. You are awfully bothered by that thought, though, aren't you?"

"What are you planning, woman?" Zoro growled, lowering his head to glare at her more threateningly.

She moved one of her hands in front of her smile and gave a short laugh. "You will know in due time." She said, her tone deceivingly sweet. "This was just my little warning to you, Swordsman-san."

"Warning? Is that how little you think of human lives?" Zoro questioned, anger rising in his voice.

"It isn't about what I think of human lives." Robin said, her smile fading away. There was a short silence before she straightened up and slipped off his roof, landing gracefully on her feet. "I suggest you heed my warning, Zoro."

In a flash, Zoro was up in front of her, sword to her throat, growling so loudly that all the birds that had somehow remained in the vicinity flew off. "And, I suggest you stop hurting innocent people!" He roared. Robin's eyes widened and she couldn't help a cringe at the volume and the anger of his voice.

It only took Robin a moment to regain her footing, at which point she smiled. She crossed her arms in an 'x' shape over her chest and flicked her wrists. Immediately, seven tanned arms sprouted from various places and grabbed Zoro's neck. More and more arms sprouted out from them, forcing Zoro back against a tree roughly.

"You're walking on thin ground, Swordsman-san." She warned. Her extra arms disappeared and just like that, Robin was no longer standing anywhere near his shrine.

Zoro rubbed at his neck, still feeling the pressure of her surprisingly strong grip. He stood up a bit straighter and took a minute to get his bearings before he took off towards the Baratie. He would have to keep a closer eye on everyone after that little meeting, but he was going to start with Sanji.

**Okay, I apologize, I sort of made Robin the bad guy. But, it serves my purpose so, meh. I'll probably change her sometime soon... If I feel like it. xD Oh, but, maaaan! I loooooooved writing those Sanji and Zoro bits! Definitely got more of that to come!**

**Reviews are loved!**

**Ciao~**


	11. Der ueber dich wacht

**Ta-da! It took me, like, three days to write this. And, I've got another one in the works. Y'all are gonna be bu-sy reading this one, too, because it's looooooooong! I don't really know what to say about this chapter, other than what I already put, so, uh... Enjoy!**

Over the next few days, Zoro discovered that he was glad for his 'friend' standing with Luffy. He had been watching them all from afar, alternately, though sometimes they were all in the same place. One day, he'd run into Luffy on the streets while he was tailing Sanji and the straw hat had greeted him loudly. Luffy had practically dragged him along to the Baratie, apparently their usual hang-out, and Luffy had begged him to hang out with them. The situation had been tricky, at first, since everyone else was still warming up to him and he refused to give an address or a 'cell number', as they had requested multiple times. But, eventually, Luffy had let him go with the promise that Zoro would find them when he was available to hang out.  
>He'd come through on that, albeit after getting lost and turned in circles while trying to follow the scent trails left behind by the particular group of humans. The very next day after his promise, he had found all but the blonde meeting up at the head of the trail leading to the inlet where their ship was docked. Sanji'd called in sick, they explained.<br>Since then, Zoro had been spending every human hour he could with them. It was aggravating that there were so many hours of the night that they rested, instead opting to have fun during the day. Zoro would rather be out at night, since he did not require the assistance of sunlight to do most anything. But, he kept his complaints to a minimum while he was out with the humans.  
>Only twice out of the nine times they'd hung out was Sanji present. He was the only one in their group, Zoro learned, that had a job. The others had school, but it was summer vacation, so they were free most all the time. They dragged him to strange human places, the 'shopping mall' and the 'amusement park'. Crazy rituals were performed at those locations, where humans looked at things for hours on end, occasionally spending their money on useless things and odd foods.<br>Despite all the commotion, Zoro still had to shell out extra time to watch Sanji. Suffice to say he was nervous. He was half certain Robin would give another 'warning'. But, watching the blonde was relatively eventless. He learned that he wasn't a waiter, he was actually a chef. He learned that Sanji didn't get along with a single person in the kitchen. He learned that Sanji was a damned pervert. He learned way more about the cook than he ever wanted to know. But, he couldn't leave him until he was absolutely sure Robin wouldn't try anything.  
>After nearly a week and a half of keeping close to the humans, it had come to be Saturday. Luckily, all the humans he normally baby-sat were occupied with each other or family. Zoro finally had a day off and he wouldn't rather spend it anywhere other than in his forest.<br>He'd snagged an old bottle of sake from some dusty place in a dark corner of the town during the night. As he lay down in the grass in a spot where the trees wouldn't block the sunrise, Zoro uncorked the bottle and took a swig. He was going to have a relaxing day in the sun.  
>Zoro closed his eyes as the first pink rays of sunlight filtered into the clearing and exhaled a calming breath. He didn't actually fall asleep, not really. Demons could only sleep so much in a certain time period. After a while, it was just meditating. Zoro did like to sleep a lot when he was younger, so, in turn, he meditated quite a lot.<br>The sounds of his forest, his domain, echoed inside his ear drums. Birds and bugs and the all-around sound of morning. It was a luxury he did not often get to enjoy. He didn't mind walking among the humans, he actually liked it quite a bit, but sometimes there was no better place than his home. Nature was much more appealing, at the moment, than the city.  
>Zoro idly thought about how things had changed since he was a youth. How he was the only same thing on his lands. It depressed him somewhat to think about it, so he cast the thoughts of the age of humans out of his mind, instead focusing on what hadn't changed. He could smell the wet soil and stones a mile or so away, where a stream would be. It dried up every now and again, usually during summer, but he could still smell it.<br>In an area not too far from him, he could hear leaves rustling. It wasn't a human, he could tell, but it wasn't a demon either, so he remained calm. Then, he thought he should pay Chopper a visit, exchange information. He did need to know what the others were up to, and he could probably use Chopper's help with Robin. But, Zoro made no move towards that option as the sunlight finally started to warm away the dew in the grass.

* * *

><p>Sanji both loved and hated Saturday. He loved that many young women decided to visit the restaurant during the weekend. But, he hated that the kitchen was so damn busy he could hardly go out to work the floor like he so loved to do. He loved, believe it or not, that he had to get up a little earlier on Saturday, before the sun, just to get the jump on the breakfast crowd. He hated, though, that some of the staff took Saturday off, while he was working from five in the morning until last call, which was around one midnight.<br>The loved things outweighed the hated that particular morning, as the breakfast rush finally slowed at just past ten, but Sanji still found himself in a sour mood. His mind was in a fog and his body was running on autopilot. Luckily, his autopilot was quite charming. No one knew the difference.  
>He could work, hang out with his friends, flirt with women and do all the regular things. But, when he'd return to the upstairs apartment, to his room, and see the odd-shaped clean spot in the carpet, he would freeze for a long moment. He would see the blood, feel the pressure in his head and the shaking in his limbs and, above everything else, the confusion. He didn't know what happened, how it happened, why it happened, or anything. He was clueless and he despised it.<br>Sanji busied himself washing dishes before anyone had the chance to start yelling about having no dishes. He didn't want to think too hard about his problems, work problems included. So, Sanji scrubbed at a pot lined with crusty residue from some porridge-thing. He worked his way through an over-full sink of dishes before the lunch crowd came in, leaving any future dishes to someone else. He wanted to go out and greet the customers, have a nice break from the sweltering kitchen, but he knew his mind would be open to more unwanted thoughts that way.  
>The cook pulled up a battered old barstool, one he used to use as a step-stool, and sat down on it in the corner of the kitchen by the back door. He didn't usually get much of a breather in the kitchen, but for whatever reason, the other chefs left him be. It was strange, but he wasn't going to complain. He would keep his suspicions to himself as long as it got him a well-deserved break.<br>Sanji fished his cell out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He had no less than a dozen new messages, all from his friends. Great. He didn't know if he had time to listen to listen to all of them, but he started anyway.  
>The first was from Robin, which surprised him. She wanted to talk, but that's all she said about the matter. He frowned at his phone a moment before listening to the next message. Luffy. He was speaking a bunch of gibberish, talking with his mouth full, no doubt. Sanji didn't understand a word he was saying, so he just deleted the message and moved on to the next. Luffy, again, but he was muffled. A butt-dial, Sanji thought, rolling his eyes. Delete. Ussop, talking about finally shipping out for a good three minutes before the message ended. Delete. Nami, asking if she can borrow some money and, yes, she would definitely repay him. Sanji sighed. He wished he could believe her, but he deleted the message. She'd bring it up again if she really needed the cash. Or, if she wanted some new shoes.<br>The next message was obscured by a loud sizzling sound; someone pouring cold veggies in a hot pan. Sanji looked up to tell whoever did that that they were an amateur and to hold it down, but then the message was loud enough for him to hear it._ 'I really do need to see you.' _The voice was strange. It was sort of a growl, almost an order. He felt his head snap up, his arm reach for his jacket, and his hand put his cell phone away. Then, he blacked out.

* * *

><p><em>Hmm... birds.<em>  
><em>Sunlight. Kinda hot.<em>  
><em>A chipmunk, or... two.<em>  
><em>What, a camper?<em>  
><em>Fuck.<em>  
>Zoro's wonderful, sunny abyss spat him out into reality when he heard the sounds of a rustling tent. He'd learned that sound many ages ago, and, with no small emphasis, decided he must never be near a campsite. The 'outdoorsy type', as he'd heard them referred to, were the most annoying bunch when gathered in a small cloth hut. In his heyday, he'd have run them off his land, but he knew more about what the human mind could and could not accept, and the limits of their nerves. Humans really didn't react well to being told to leave, he learned.<br>So, he stretched, sat up, grabbed his bottle of sake and left for his shrine. He thought he should go check on the humans, but he really didn't feel like tracking them down. He ought to get one of those 'cell phone' things those humans kept asking about, he thought. They seemed able to summon each other through those things. Zoro made a mental note to learn how to use a 'cell phone'.  
>He listened to the slosh of sake in the bottle as he walked, finding it in himself to grin at the sound. That particular sloshing sound usually occurred before he gave his best effort towards getting shit-faced. Zoro did enjoy a well-spent Saturday afternoon like that, but it was going to take more than one bottle of sake.<br>When Zoro reached his shrine, he opened the sliding doors and put his half-empty bottle just inside the door, in the corner. He slid the door shut again, shoved his hands in his pockets and started towards the liquor store on the outskirts of town. It was best to get more sake early, before he was already off his game from drinking a whole bottle. He'd get at least another bottle or two, go back home to his shrine and spend the day getting wasted. It wouldn't last too long, but he still liked to try.  
>The liquor store was an odd-smelling cabin, large enough to be a small bar, but mostly full of dusty old bottles of alcohol. No one came to that shop anymore; it was basically just a storage shed with a crotchety old man living in it. But, it had the best booze for twenty miles. And, Zoro was old friends with the owner, so he paid the man whatever form of money he had at the time, and the old man accepted without question. It was the best place he had been to that century.<br>As Zoro walked up to the cracking side door, (he never went through the front), the old man opened the door and stepped out. He saw Zoro and hesitated for a moment, before grunting and slinging the door open wider. "Payment on the counter. Gotta piss."  
>Zoro nodded in acknowledgement and entered the cabin as the old man hobbled off into the woods. He strode right over to the counter and reached behind it. He grabbed the first two bottles he laid hands on and put them on the counter. He had to dig through his haramaki to find it, but eventually, Zoro placed the old paper money and two silver pieces on the wooden counter. That should cover it, he thought.<br>He swiped the bottles off the counter and held them both in his left hand as he exited the shop. Immediately outside the door, he realized he didn't recognize anything. Hm. _Must've gone out the wrong door._  
>The swordsman shrugged. He couldn't be too far from where he'd entered the building, anyway, so he just started walking. Eventually he'd circle back to his shrine.<br>Zoro found himself in a quiet town that reminded him of the old days, but he kept walking. Nostalgia was not a good place to start drinking from. The next time Zoro noticed where he was, it was the Calm Belt Graveyard. That was nearing the boundaries of his land, so he turned and went back. He couldn't seem to find his shrine anywhere. Had someone stolen it? He'd chop their limbs off and make them watch when he found them.  
>Just when he was certain he must be close, Zoro picked out a scent. The wind was blowing towards him from almost the exact opposite direction, but he turned anyway. He knew that smell. It was altered somewhat, but he definitely knew who it was.<br>Sanji.

* * *

><p>The cook was confused. As soon as he saw things, they passed from his mind. He was walking, he knew, but as soon as he knew it, it was no longer there. There was no last thing he remembered, or anything he remembered. He just had to go. He didn't know where he was going, but his legs knew. One moment he was worried, scared, but the next he knew no such emotions.<br>Sanji vaguely noticed that he was crossing the street. The light turned red just as he stepped up on the curb and he was relieved for a moment, before he was back to flashes and glimpses of normally-lasting thoughts. He wished he knew what was going on.

* * *

><p>Zoro swore under his breath. He stashed the bottles of sake up in a random tree and rubbed his hand down the trunk so he would smell himself on the tree when he came back to retrieve his booze. Then, he took off. He could smell Sanji, still, as he hurried through the trees out into the city.<br>He could've sworn Sanji was working or hanging out with the other humans in his group, but Zoro couldn't smell anyone he recognized alongside Sanji. That meant he wasn't safe. Zoro couldn't trust that Robin wouldn't try to get at Sanji while he was alone. Albeit in public, but she was a devious bitch when she wanted to be.  
>Zoro put a hand on his swords to hold them steady as he ran, faster than any human could see. He couldn't be sure where in the city Sanji was, and random people that he may have passed held his scent for the longest time, so he still had to look for a while.<br>But, he did find him.  
>Sanji was walking with his hands in his pockets, leaning forward. He was fully dressed in a nice black suit, even though it was ninety-five degrees out. Zoro could see the top two buttons on Sanji's shirt were undone, which wasn't normal. The look on the blonde's face was completely blank. Something was definitely up.<br>Zoro slowed down a bit before he reached Sanji, not really caring who else noticed that, suddenly, a green-haired man was walking down the sidewalk with three swords attached to his hip. "Oi, dart-brow." Zoro grunted, only a few feet out in front of Sanji.  
>The cook completely ignored him. He didn't look up, he didn't even blink. <em>What the hell?<em>  
>Zoro grabbed Sanji by the shoulder as he passed and pushed him back a little. "Hey, I'm talking to you." Zoro said, frowning at the cook. Sanji looked up briefly, his eyes sparking with something more lively for only a moment. He shrugged away from Zoro's grip and continued walking up the street. "Oi!" Zoro called after him. But, Sanji didn't acknowledge him.<br>Without missing a beat, Zoro began following him to his mystery destination.  
>Sanji didn't try to shake him, didn't even look over his shoulder. It was like he hadn't noticed Zoro at all, but the swordsman knew better. Their eyes had met, if only for a second, so he knew that Sanji knew he was there and that he was trying to talk to him. Zoro tried a few more times to verbally get Sanji's attention, even using his actual name, for God's sake, but the cook simply ignored him.<br>So, they walked. For another hour or so in the scorching heat, without a single word exchanged. Zoro was getting pissed off, but robo-Sanji didn't have any information to offer. After a while, Zoro began to sense the presence of a demon. A few demons, actually. Where was Sanji leading them, anyway?  
>The people filtered away as the paved roads turned to gravel and dirt. Zoro recognized that place. They were nearing the end of his territory; all they had to do was cross the bridge and walk 'til the ground became water. He saw the tunnel of trees that created shade over the bridge and he cursed. Sanji was trying to go to the end of Zoro's land, it seemed.<br>But, Sanji didn't know that it was the end of his land, let alone that he had land, Zoro thought. That's what he thought, anyway, but Sanji seemed determined to cross the bridge. Zoro stepped out in front of him and leered at the cook. "This is as far as you go. You can't cross the bridge, it's... old." Zoro said, trying to come up with a good reason to forbid Sanji from crossing.  
>Sanji looked at him, his eyes unfocused. He didn't say anything, but he didn't try to move around Zoro either. The blonde leaned to the side and gazed at the bridge, still looking to be far away. He made an odd sound, sort of a hum, and his shoulders slumped.<br>-~Switching~-  
>Sanji vaguely registered that he was standing before Zoro, then that information was gone. Someone was keeping him from getting to where he needed to be. Then, Zoro was standing in front of him, looking at him, saying something. He didn't hear. Did Zoro say something? He didn't know. Zoro wasn't even there. Where was there? He didn't know. A bridge? It looked nice. Wide, dark, old, wood. Maybe fifteen feet below, there was a crystal-clear creek running calmly through. Sanji wondered why he was there.<br>He tried to say something, but he wasn't supposed to talk to anyone. He wasn't even supposed to stop. He should go. Sanji's legs began moving again, his pants sticking to him a little from sweating so much. It was hot out, he thought, and then the notion was gone again. Oh, well. He must only walk, that was what he was supposed to do, he knew. That, he did not forget.  
>Sanji heard the sound of his shoes on the wood of the bridge as if from far away and then he was pushed. He fell back, because he was not told to catch himself. Pain. In his hand. His right hand. How dare he? Sanji looked up at Zoro and narrowed his eyes. He tried to get up, he tried to kick Zoro's ass, but he couldn't. For the longest moment in the past hour and a half, he held one emotion; frustration.<br>Why couldn't he do what he wanted to do? Why, when he did get up, would his legs not listen to him and stop walking? He wanted to kick Zoro's ass for pushing him, goddamn it!  
>"Where the hell are you going?" Zoro growled at him.<br>Sanji looked up again when he realized he'd heard Zoro that time. He still couldn't talk, even though he wanted to yell at Zoro, cuss him out. But, he heard him, and he knew he was still there and he wasn't focused on getting to his destination.  
>Then, Sanji picked up his hand.<br>He blinked slowly at it, watching the blood drip out of the cut on his palm and down his wrist. The pain registered again and he bit his lip, frowning terribly. Sanji glared up at Zoro, his thoughts coming a little clearer. "What... the fuck... did you just do?" Sanji hissed.  
>-~Switching~-<br>When Sanji spoke, Zoro loosened up a little. At least he had his brain back, for the time being. "I just stopped you. Where the hell do you think you're goin'?"  
>Suddenly, the cook lashed out and kicked him in the side of the head, faster than he'd ever seen anyone kick before. He actually fell, twenty feet away. Zoro had never seen a human do that before. He was shocked. He lifted a hand to his lip and felt where it had split and started to bleed. Zoro jumped up to retaliate, but Sanji wasn't paying any attention. The blonde was holding his right hand in his left, close to his chest. It looked like he was either going to cry or explode.<br>Zoro had to keep himself from grabbing his swords at the display. "What? Your brain still occupied?" Zoro snapped, not really sure what was going on.  
>Sanji looked up at him with fury in his eyes and started to say something, but then his face went blank again. He dropped his arms at his sides and started across the bridge again. Zoro was about to stop him again, when Robin appeared at the end of the bridge. Even though she was a hundred yards away, Zoro could see her smiling.<br>"You-!" Zoro was up in her face in a blink, holding a sword to her middle. "What are you doing to him?"  
>Robin smiled wider. She let Zoro's words ring in the air a moment before she responded. "I am simply doing what I must. Cook-san is the best source of information. Well, the kind of information that I need, in any case."<br>Zoro prodded her midsection with the tip of his blade. "No. You leave the humans alone. Let him go." Zoro growled low. Robin looked past Zoro and smiled a little kinder at Sanji. Zoro heard a thud behind him and he frowned, eyes wide. He glanced over his shoulder to see Sanji in a heap, not even half-way across the bridge.  
>In that moment, Robin restrained him with dozens of extra arms. Zoro started to threaten her, but she sprouted another arm from his shoulder and clapped it over his mouth. She stepped forward, her smile more precise as she leaned over so her lips were close to his ear. "Now, listen closely, Swordsman-san. I have a goal. I could easily get what I want, and then I could just leave this island and you could have what you want.<br>"I only require the assistance of your human friends for a short amount of time, a small amount of work. I will leave every one of them be when I am finished here and you can live happily ever after. Or, you can continue to get in my way," Robin paused, her gaze drifting to Sanji, lying still on the bridge. "And, I will kill all of them, one at a time and slowly while you watch. Do not get in my way. This is a very important task that I must do and if you keep me from it, well..." She let her words ring out as she tightened her grip on him with all her arms and Zoro struggled to get away from her.  
>Then, she was gone. Zoro staggered, at first, and then whirled around, looking for her, swords at the ready. When he couldn't see her and could no longer sense her, he went over to Sanji. The blonde was passed out cold, his hand was bleeding, he was sweating and his suit was covered in dirt.<br>Zoro picked him up and took him carefully back to his room, in through the window. He hoped Sanji wouldn't remember anything. He had still been conscious, after all, when Zoro had darted across the bridge and held a blade to Robin's gut.  
>As carefully as he could, Zoro wiped the blood from Sanji's hand, (he was getting very acquainted with the smell of the cook's blood), and tied a rag around it. Since he was a chef, perhaps he'd just chalk it up to having cut himself while in the kitchen. Zoro wasn't sure what else to do after that, so he left.<br>That sake sounds really good right about now.

**Well, there you have it. I haven't got a lot to say about this, but I will say that I was desperate to put some ZoSan action in there...! I swear to God, I am going to script an argument and a push from behind, if you get my drift! Oh, soon, though... xD**


	12. Ich bleibe bei dir

**What's this, two updates inside of a week? Yeppers. I'm even working on another one. This story is expanding faster than I can type. xD**

**I'm going to try to work on Attitude Match! some... I just realized it's almost a year old and I've only got 9 chapters. Dx I have got to get some writing done on that one! T-T Well, anyway...**

**Enjoy!**

When Sanji woke up, he felt as if he had a hangover. His whole body hurt, though he wasn't sure why. He couldn't remember drinking anything at all, but there he was, in the middle of the night, after just having woken up from who knows how much sleep, with a headache and the feeling that he was going to throw up.

Sanji sat up slowly, holding his head and clenching his jaw to keep from hissing at the pain. He didn't understand why injury liked him so much, but he was fucking tired of it. Sanji stood up with difficulty and staggered to the bathroom. He kept a glass beside the faucet at all times, and for that, he was grateful in that moment. He filled the glass with tap water and drank down the sick feeling that was slowly rising up into his throat.

He went to rub at his face and paused when he felt a pain in his hand. He pulled it back from his face in horror and stared. There was a rag wrapped around his palm and tied in a loose knot on the back of his hand. Sanji slid his hand out of the rag and gaped at the cut on his palm. A two inch gash in his hand that he didn't remember having the day before was not something he could easily keep calm about.

Hurriedly, Sanji opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bandage and the tube of disinfectant. He sat down on the edge of his bed and fixed up his hand, carefully wrapping the bandage around his already bruising hand. He cursed several times during the process, still not sure what happened to his hand and not any happier about it. Sanji had to keep himself from clenching his jaw too hard as he sat there, holding his hand close to his chest. Fuck, it hurt.

Sanji sat for a minute taking deep breaths, just concentrating on being calm and not hurting. It didn't really work, but he was a bit calmer. When he could trust himself not to start breaking things and cussing like a sailor, Sanji got up and began to disrobe. It was a little awkward-looking the way he went about getting his hand out of his jacket as he took it off. Then, he undid his tie and all the buttons on his shirt left-handed.

It was a little difficult to get out of his dress shirt, but he easily slipped out of his pants. In only a white t-shirt and blue underwear, Sanji gathered up all his laundry and threw it in the hamper beside his bedroom door. His suit was dirty, he'd noticed. He wanted to get them dry-cleaned, but he hadn't the time or patience to think about that when, goddamn, his everything hurt.

Sanji grabbed a pair of soft, comfy pants and pulled them on, and then threw off his t-shirt. He trudged through the dark hallway and into the kitchen. He wasn't sure why the Ibuprofen was in the kitchen, not in his medicine cabinet, but he didn't correct the error. He unscrewed the cap and shook out one pill, put the cap back on, went back to his room, where his glass of water was, and swallowed the pill on the first try. He held his head for another minute before crawling back into bed.

He couldn't think of anything else to do, besides sleep. He couldn't remember why he was hurting so much, or what happened to his hand. It was driving him crazy, but he wasn't going to remember anything if he was exhausted.

-~Switching~-

Zoro relaxed somewhat as Sanji closed his eyes. It seemed like the cook didn't remember after all. That was good. Zoro didn't know how he could possibly explain running faster than the eye can see and threatening a seemingly-innocent woman. Not to mention pushing Sanji. The blonde seemed particularly traumatized by the cut on his hand. Zoro kind of felt guilty about that, though he wouldn't tell anyone about it.

He shifted a bit on the rooftop of the jewelry store next to the Baratie, accidentally causing the three empty bottles of sake to roll around and bump into each other. At some point, he'd decided to bring a cot with him, since he knew he'd be spending more time on that rooftop than pretty much anywhere else. Zoro had been to the others' houses, yes, but Robin wasn't messing with them. He couldn't smell her, or even sense her at their houses. She only really visited Sanji.

Zoro wasn't quite sure why, but that thought irked him. Why Sanji? He was just some cook. How could he possibly assist Robin's cause? Zoro didn't have any answers. He wasn't the best at doing such things, but he figured he should make a plan. He should come up with a way to head Robin off at the pass, because whatever she's planning can't be good.

The first time Zoro met Robin was in the year sixteen-thirty-four, he remembered. Her hair had been long and black as the night as she rode into town atop a shimmering white horse. He had known, of course, that she was a demon. No woman in that time acted the way Nico Robin did.

She had been greeted by the village's men heartily, and the women venomously, but Zoro simply stared. He had met other demons before Robin, most certainly, but she was a whole different breed. She fit in with the humans, didn't try to conquer them like many of their kind had been doing. She was very pleasant to anyone and everyone. But, he still had his suspicions. It was his land to guard, after all and, knowing what he does, nearly four-hundred years later, Zoro knew he was right to question her motives. Robin never did anything without an ulterior motive.

Zoro glared at the memory. He did not want to fully remember. He had hated the sixteen-hundreds.

The swordsman repositioned himself again, turning his back on the reminiscence and staring directly into the cook's dark window. He was glad, he decided, that at least that window was not a porthole. He could see inside the large rectangle windows much better than the little circle panes of glass that barely passed for windows.

Sanji turned over in his sleep, facing the window and mumbling something. Zoro found himself staring at the cook and quickly looked away. He shouldn't get attached, he knew, since he'd probably have to roam the island again soon, once Robin had moved on. If he started roaming the island, there would be no time for babysitting. Besides, if he hung around the humans long enough, liked them well enough, they'd start to notice that he was different. Zoro couldn't let that happen.

He closed his eyes, keeping every other sense as sharp as he could as he fell off to sleep.

When Zoro woke again, it was still dark. The sun was just barely beginning to illuminate the sky, and the people were scarce. It was quiet for many miles, like it had been every morning for hundreds of years. There were small sounds, still, but Zoro could hear for a very long way.

Zoro blinked a few times and turned his head towards the window. He could hear water running inside the upper-floor of the Baratie, but he couldn't see anything. He assumed Sanji was taking a shower. Zoro stood up and stretched, his back and neck providing a symphony of pops and cracks. He sighed contentedly and jumped down from the rooftop.

Not a single person in sight, Zoro noticed, as he strolled out of the alley between buildings. Five in the morning was the best time to travel. He could go anywhere, looking like he does, and no one would question him. He could even have his swords with him. Zoro considered that an all-around plus.

The few early-birds walking around were sipping coffees and trying to wake up, completely ignoring Zoro's existence. They scurried about, opening for business and cleaning up as per usual. A pair of joggers nodded to Zoro as they passed and he nodded in response. He liked the morning people. Quiet, slow, and minding their own business.

Zoro did something he had grown accustomed to in the past few days, which was checking on all the humans. As much as he'd hate to think he fell for them so quickly and so hard, Zoro wanted to keep them safe. So, he made his rounds, visiting each human's house in order. When he finished, though, ending on Ussop's house, since it was the farthest from town, Zoro stopped. He was within spitting distance of Chopper's lands. He hadn't really noticed, or at least, not really cared, until then. He was almost positive that Chopper was awake already, probably even making some magic cure-all. For reasons that he was sure were not normal, Zoro crossed out of his territory and started towards Chopper's cabin.

Sanji started the day like normal, only a bit more left-handed. He had taken a shower, put on fresh clothes, light stuff, unlike his outfit the day before, and he had brushed his teeth. Before he got downstairs, however, Zeff had flagged him down. It wasn't unusual; Zeff always found reasons to confront Sanji about one shitty thing or another. But, he'd noticed the hand. Sanji hadn't thought Zeff could get any more obnoxious and old fart-ish than he was, until he got an earful about being 'irresponsible' and 'stupid' and 'worthless'.

All hell burned hotter when Sanji told Zeff he didn't know how he got cut. That argument could be heard up and down the block, every single curse. Suffice to say, he'd been mad. Sanji didn't know why, it was his own damn hand, for God's sake, but Zeff had torn him a new one.

Sanji ended up getting himself kicked out of work until further notice.

He was sure it wasn't his fault, but that older-than-dust asshole just wouldn't believe him. Sanji grabbed his smokes and stormed out before he could hear another word about the subject. He was already seething about the injury; he really didn't understand why the old man had to say what he said. He was so pissed off, he could barely see straight.

The morning was calm and cool and perfectly nice, but Sanji couldn't stand it. Every little thing was ticking him off more and more. He had to find somewhere else to be, somewhere peaceful, somewhere he didn't have to think about damn old men and their unnecessarily mean lectures about things Sanji already knew about. Sanji didn't know where he was going to go, but he kept on walking with purpose.

Eventually, he'd get where he needed to be.

Chopper had been awake, just as Zoro thought. He had been happily grinding herbs according to an experimental recipe, something that helps with joint pain for the elderly, in theory. When Zoro walked in, he had looked up and smiled. He had heard him coming, though he hadn't been sure it was Zoro. The chemical and herb smells in his little cabin drowned out most everything else, so he hadn't smelt Zoro coming. He had guessed, though.

"Oh, Zoro? Good morning." He had said, putting aside his mortar and pestle. He had been worried. Zoro didn't usually visit him, not without motivation. Not that Chopper minded if Zoro suddenly decided to visit his old friend, but it was quite unlikely.

But, then Zoro had told him why he was there.

Chopper had jumped up immediately, stuffed his bag full of supplies and told Zoro to lead the way. He had to know, he just had to. What human would be special enough to make Zoro worry? Chopper had never been asked by Zoro to tend to any wounds that were not Zoro's own. He had once asked Zoro if the humans he knew were healthy, or if they just didn't matter much to him. A harsh question, he knew, but Zoro hadn't minded. He'd said they didn't matter.

The little doctor walked briskly beside Zoro, vaguely aware that, yes, he did still look like a reindeer, but he was more focused on their destination than anything else. He could put on his human form when they got to a more populated area. But, for the time being, while the light was still only pink, Chopper wanted to be all the demon he could be.

"You're going to have to change soon." Zoro warned, walking directly in front of his friend as a woman was looking around just ahead of them on the sidewalk. Once she retreated back into her shop, a bakery by the smell of it, Zoro moved to the side again.

Chopper looked up at Zoro and the endless curiosity he held within him started to wander. He was practically bursting with the need to ask about Zoro's human friend, but he respected his silence. Zoro was a very prideful man, one who wouldn't do nice things out in the open. Since he had come to Chopper for help, the doctor knew it must be something important, though, something big.

"Yes..." Chopper began slowly, glancing up at Zoro again. "But, I will also need to know about my patient. Their injury, for instance?"

Zoro gave him a strange look. "You'll know when we get there." Zoro said simply. Chopper frowned.

"Zoro, please. I can hardly follow you all the way out of my territory and into the city to treat an anonymous human patient and not ask questions!" Chopper squeaked.

A deep rumbling growl told him all he needed to know. Zoro was not going to tell him a thing.

Chopper grumbled about being drug out on a house call so early in the morning, but Zoro ignored him. The doctor made every possible ply at getting information out of Zoro, and still he remained in the dark. He received the glare of doom and shut his mouth quickly.

Luckily, the doctor knew his friend. He knew that Zoro could not simply owe him a favor. He knew that the swordsman would start feeling guilty about not telling him anything and would eventually give in. It was just the waiting that killed him. So, he had to play it just right, act just so. Zoro would break easier, Chopper thought, if he acted dejected. As soon as he finished the thought, Zoro sighed.

"Okay, fine. It's Robin."

"Robin's hurt?"

"No. I mean, I don't know! Just-" Zoro groaned. "She's fucking with me."

"H-how do you mean?" Chopper asked, cautiously.

"She told me to... get to know some humans. I don't know what's going through her head."

"Ah, I see... Wait, she told you to do something and you listened?"

"No!" Zoro growled. He looked around, then back to Chopper. "I didn't mean to... shit happens."

Chopper nodded. He wouldn't press the issue. "So... a human that Robin told you to talk to is injured?"

Zoro nodded. Just as they were rounding the corner of an old stone building, Zoro pushed Chopper's hat down over the doctor's face and told him to be quiet. Chopper nearly tripped three times before Zoro lifted his hat back up. "You need to change now." Zoro told him.

The doctor nodded, and as he did so, his fur receded and bunched together atop his head. His hooves became hands and feet and his muzzle became the nose and mouth of a twelve-year-old boy. However humanoid he could make himself, though, his blue nose did not change. "Is it better this time?" Chopper asked hopefully.

Zoro grinned, briefly. "Of course." He assured Chopper. Honestly, he didn't see any difference from the last time Chopper took on his human form. But, when he'd told the doctor that once, Chopper had been depressed for months.

They were well on their way through town when Zoro suddenly stopped. Chopper gazed up at him with his wide human eyes. "What? Are we lost?" He asked, looking around. He did know his friend, after all. He knew Zoro was... directionally challenged.

"No, wh- No! I'm not that bad! It's my own damn island..." Zoro grumbled, looking around. He turned on the heel of his boot and started off across the street. Chopper followed quickly, listening to Zoro's rambling. "The scent is fresh..." Zoro mumbled, confused.

Chopper's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't..." Chopper trailed off, turning his nose to the air and sniffing. He wasn't sure why he did that, he really didn't know who he was smelling for, but he did anyway.

Zoro led them to the side of a narrow path covered in tan pebbles. Bushes lined the side of the path, but Zoro just stepped through them. "Of course he'd be here..."

"Where's here? I don't recognize this place, Zoro." Chopper said, trying to untangle his bag and his clothes and his hair from the evil bushes. "Just follow me." Zoro called, agitated. Chopper sighed as he broke free from the confines of the bush and bounded after Zoro.

Sanji sat at the end of the dock, kicking his feet in the water and watching the sun rise. The water was practically frozen, but it felt nice on his legs. He even dipped his hand in the cold water and the throbbing burn went away. Sanji sighed.

His eyes drifted to the Going Merry, slowly rocking on the small waves. The sound of waves on wood was echoing all around him. It was a good idea, he decided, to visit that place. The quiet of the morning mixed with the calm of the ocean was the perfect medicine for his nerves.

Sanji pulled his hand out of the water and frowned at the swollen red mess that was his hand. He figured he ought to go see a doctor about it, but he never really cared for hospitals. He just wasn't the type to whine over little injuries like, say, five broken ribs, a concussion and a severed leg. Never mind a little cut on his hand.

The pain in his hand started to creep back up, so he placed it back in the water. He hissed slightly at the contact, but the pain went away again quickly. Sanji didn't know what it was about cold water, but it felt fucking amazing.

"Oi."

Sanji jumped slightly and spun around best he could while still remaining seated. He didn't relax even a little bit when he saw it was Zoro. "What are you doing here?" Sanji asked, frowning. Zoro wasn't looking directly at him, so, Sanji followed his eyes. He frowned further when he ended up looking at his hand.

"You know anything about this?" Sanji asked, holding his hand up. Zoro was silent. Sanji sighed, "Never mind." The blonde turned back around to look out at the sea. He held his hand in his lap so that Zoro couldn't look at it anymore.

"It's infected!"

Sanji jumped again, this time turning around and pulling his legs out of the water. He frowned confusedly at the bushes and watched as a kid stepped out into the open, carrying a black doctor's bag that was almost as big as him. Sanji couldn't even find words.

The little brunette boy stopped in his tracks and mirrored Sanji's confused expression. "What? Zoro, he... That's the guy from..." Zoro's head snapped up and Sanji couldn't see his face anymore. The kid suddenly stopped talking and his mouth snapped shut. He nodded and walked briskly over to Sanji.

"Hi. My name's Chopper. What's your name?" The kid asked politely, smiling.

Sanji quirked a small smile. "I'm Sanji. Tell me something; what's a kid doing out here so early?"

Chopper blinked once, looked over his shoulder at Zoro, and then looked back at Sanji. "I, uh... I'm older than I look. May I see your injury?"

The cook recoiled slightly. "Uh..." He paused, not quite sure what to say. Chopper reached out slowly and picked up Sanji's hand, apologizing quietly when Sanji sucked in a sharp breath. "It's fine, kid, don't-"

"Chopper," Chopper corrected, opening his bag with one hand while holding onto Sanji's hand with the other. Zoro was watching intently, silently, and the whole time Sanji was getting more confused. His hand was starting to really bother him, but it didn't even come close to how many alarms were going off in his head. How did Zoro find him? Why was this scrawny kid acting like a doctor? How the fuck did they even know about his hand? More importantly, how did they fucking find him before the fucking sun was up?

"Wha-"

"I'm a doctor." Chopper said, effectively silencing Sanji for the moment.

The blonde looked up at Zoro, frowning in so much confusion he might as well have had a question mark on his face. He wanted to say a lot of things, ask a lot of things, but nothing was coming out. He ended up watching Chopper rifle through his bag.

Eventually, Chopper pulled out a green-tinted glass jar, half-full with some sort of paste. Sanji raised an eyebrow at it and Chopper glanced up at him warily. "Your hand. The cut is infected. This'll fix it, it-it's honestly the best thing, b-but it won't feel good." Chopper said nervously.

Sanji stared at the innocent boy, the purely apologetic expression on his face, and he trusted the boy with everything in him. "It's fine. As long as this gets better," Sanji nodded towards his hand. "Then, we don't have a problem." He smiled kindly at Chopper. He didn't know why he was trying to perk the child up, there was just something nice about him. All Chopper wanted to do was help, and all Sanji wanted to do was let him.

Chopper smiled faintly and nodded. He took the lid off the jar and dipped a cotton ball into it. He cast another cautious glance at Sanji before dabbing his wound with the cotton ball covered in mint-green goo. Sanji practically yelped as soon as the thing touched his cut and Chopper was apologizing again. Sanji's legs jerked, his first instinct being to send the pain away, to defend himself, but he kept as still as he could.

Zoro took a step towards them, his stance rigid, though Sanji didn't know why. He found himself not knowing why a lot of things were the way they were, lately. Zoro's eyes moved between Sanji's hand and Sanji's face and Sanji didn't understand why he would do that.

Chopper pulled a bandage from his bag and wrapped it around Sanji's palm carefully, wrapping all the way over his wrist for good measure. "I'm really sorry! It'll only take a minute to stop hurting, I promise!" Chopper said frantically.

Sanji just nodded, not trusting his voice. His jaw was too tight to talk, anyway. After another moment, the pain subsided for the most part and Sanji let out the breath he'd been holding. He still had a weird tingly feeling in his hand as well as what felt like a cut-shaped bruise, but it was better.

"G-good?" Chopper asked, scared and worried. He was like an open book. Sanji smiled at him, something he found he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. "Yes. Thanks, doc."

Chopper beamed at him, relieved. "I'm glad!" Then, he paused. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Sanji thought for a minute. The obvious answer was 'no', since he wasn't physically hurt, other than his hand. But, he didn't know if he should mention about not being able to remember. Or about the killer headache he'd experienced the other day after, again, not being able to remember. He didn't know whether or not the kid doctor would know anything about it, though, even if he did bring it up, so he decided not to. He already owed the kid quite a bit, anyway.

"Naw. Picture a'health!" Sanji said, smiling yet again. It felt different that time, forced. But, Chopper seemed not to have noticed, since he put the leftover bandages and jar of goo away and stood.

"Er... I need to talk to Zoro for a minute... But, here." Chopper reached into the pocket of his pink shorts and pulled out a card. He handed it to Sanji and the cook looked it over. It was a business card for some sort of quack medical practice he'd heard about. "I live there," Chopper explained. "So, please, call if your hand starts bothering you again, or if something else happens!"

Sanji agreed to call if something happened, but he wasn't sure he would. He had a feeling he'd be seeing the kid again, anyway, whether or not his hand started to bother him again.

Chopper excused himself and grabbed Zoro's wrist as he went. Soon, the two were off through the bushes and out of sight, leaving Sanji alone on the dock in the early morning light.

**Dunno if I had any stars in there... Ah, well. I don't think I did. Anyway, that was cool! I liked that chapter! I think I'll do the direct continuum in the next chapter. I need that exchange between Chopper and Zoro!**


	13. Ich nie gekannt

**A little later than I planned, but here it is. Sorry to say I don't think I'll get to update Foster today, though... Oh well. I'm finally getting to the place I've wanted to be in this story! Now that I'm really getting into it, I think it'll be longer than I originally planned. xD**

**Enjoy!**

"He doesn't know about us?" Chopper whispered urgently, dragging Zoro along behind him. "He doesn't know about us, and you got him involved with Robin?"

"Of course he doesn't know about us! He's a goddamn human! Why would I tell him about our species?" Zoro hissed in response, yanking his wrist away from Chopper, but continuing to follow him. "This was an accident! I didn't mean to-"

"Wait, you did that?" Chopper interrupted, whirling around to look at the swordsman. "You hurt his hand? Why did you do that, Zoro?"

Zoro growled. "I told you; it was an accident!"

Chopper gave him a hard look. "Tell me what happened. Now. I need to know these things, Zoro!" He paced back and forth, reverting to his natural form occasionally. "You can't- do you know how many of the others would have your head on a platter for this? All of them, Zoro! All of them!"

"I kno-"

"No, you don't!" Chopper broke in again, his voice never rising above a harsh whisper. "You can't get humans involved in our world, Zoro! They'll die, or worse! Oh, God, who's close? There're too many of them around here, Zoro, you know they've surrounded this island!"

"How was I supposed to know they were still there?" Zoro defended, running his hands through his hair and gesturing wildly. Chopper was babbling on and on, getting too worked up, according to Zoro. "Listen," Zoro began, just to get the doctor's attention. "I didn't have anything to do with them, and I don't want to! Robin just got one over on me, that's all. The night we chased them out of the graveyard, that's when she told me to get to know them. Just- damn it, Chopper, I thought I had this under control, but they're in my head!"

"Who's in your head?" Chopper asked, halting his frantic movement, though his eyes remained wide and scared.

"The humans. There's a group of them, Luffy, Ussop, Nami and Sanji. I didn't fucking care a couple weeks ago! What the hell is going on?" Zoro was fuming by that point, starting to pace over the rocks and twigs. "They just- I don't know what it is! I know they could be killed if they found out about me, but I can't fucking stay away!"

"Okay, tell me what happened, Zoro, and we'll work this out." Chopper said, calming down slightly. "First, what happened to get Robin involved?"

Zoro sighed, combing his fingers through his hair again. "I don't know. She just showed up at my shrine the night those humans were in the graveyard. Asked me if I'd taken an interest in humans or some shit. She said she wouldn't tell the others about us going in there, pretending to be groundskeepers, as long as I did something for her."

"That something was make human friends?" Chopper asked, his light brown eyebrows knitting together over his wide eyes.

"Sort of." Zoro grumbled, idly messing with his swords. "She just said to learn more about them, I think. It's been three weeks, though, and she hasn't said another word about it. I don't know what she wants to find out, and if I do know it, then I don't know that I know it and how the hell am I going to keep information from her when I don't even know what it is?"

Chopper frowned. "Why would you keep it from her? You don't know that she's planning something bad." Chopper said, hopefully. Zoro shook his head. "This is Robin we're talking about; of course she's planning something bad. Haven't I told you enough about her past 'plans' for you to know that?" Zoro questioned.

The doctor lowered his head. "I had hoped she would be nicer... I mean, I've met Robin! I don't think she's a bad person!" He defended, clearly upset. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What else did she say?"

Zoro shrugged. "I don't think she really said anything else... she's so fucking vague... but, she did use the humans." Zoro tried to remember as he spoke, what had happened at Robin's house. "Nami, one of Sanji's friends, was at Robin's house, under her spell. They were doing shit with maps, I don't even know. But, Sanji was there, and she told him to forget or something.

"Robin was trying to get their ship, I think." Zoro trailed off, glancing back to where he could just barely see the Going Merry, as the humans had called their ship, floating on the water. "She wants to leave the island."

"What? She can do that?" Chopper screeched. He clapped his hands over his mouth and they flashed to hooves again for only a second, before he regained his composure. "I thought... no one could leave? Not one of us, anyway. The humans leave all the time, but, us? I thought we were supposed to stay here?"

"I don't know... maybe you can leave. Maybe even Robin. But, this is my island. I can't leave." Zoro stated, a little hazy on the details himself. He had heard stories about demons that left the islands they were supposed to watch over, and those stories never have happy endings. He knew it wasn't Robin's island to watch over, so she could easily leave, but she'd been there or around for centuries. Why leave now?

"Zoro, you know you can't hang around them anymore, right?" Chopper asked slowly. Zoro looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Yeah?" He challenged.

Chopper wore a soft expression as he explained, "If they figure out what we are, the others will kill them... and if they think you're responsible, they'll kill you, too." Chopper hesitated, letting it all sink in. "If you really trust them, you can tell them. You just have to be sure the others will never know... I won't rat you out, I promise, Zoro, just... if they find out on their own, there could be trouble."

The swordsman groaned, feeling a headache coming on. "Yeah. I'll figure it out." He grunted. "Could you...?"

"Yeah. Of course. I'll do my best." Chopper agreed, nodding once and setting off with his doctor bag in tow. Zoro watched Chopper disappear into the steady flow of humans before he himself started off into the morning.

* * *

>When Sanji got back home, his friends were all waiting up in the apartment. That was odd, since Zeff never let any of Sanji's friends up. They must have been extra annoying. "Hey guys." Sanji greeted languidly. Luffy and Ussop looked up from raiding the fridge and stared at Sanji.<p><p>

"Where were you? We've been here forever!" Luffy pouted.

"Yeah, Sanji! We even asked your scary old man and he didn't know where you were!" Ussop chimed in.

Sanji shrugged, turning his attention to Nami, who was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine that she must have brought herself. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Nami-swan! I just had to, uh... clear my head." He said, giving her a charming smile.

Nami glared at him. "You know, Zeff said you had a fight before opening this morning. That's a new record for you guys, Sanji-kun." Nami stated sourly. "What happened?"

Luffy and Ussop appeared in the living room and sat at the coffee table with various snacks. "Hmm... yeah, I guess it is kind of unusual." Ussop hummed, attempting to eat a fried shrimp chip before Sanji snatched it from him. "This junk food isn't for breakfast!" Sanji snapped, taking the rest of the food off the table and bringing it back to the kitchen through the wide doorway.

"What happened to your hand, Sanji?" Luffy shouted from the living room. Sanji cringed. He hadn't thought up an explanation for that, yet. He pulled out his cereal, sticking his tongue out at Zeff's box of fucking raisin-bran. Sanji retrieved a bowl from the cabinet, a spoon from the drawer beside the stovetop, and the milk from the fridge before he returned to the living room, still not sure what he was going to say about his hand.

Sanji told them they were welcome to some cereal, too, if they wanted, and Luffy and Ussop immediately jumped up to go get the dishes they needed. Nami raised an eyebrow at Sanji. "You live in a gourmet restaurant and you eat cereal for breakfast?" She asked.

The blonde shrugged. "Can't cook gourmet food on an empty stomach."

Nami raised her eyebrows and nodded, showing she understood. "Now, about that hand..." She let her words hang in the air as a cue for Sanji to start explaining himself.

Ussop and Luffy came in from the kitchen before Sanji could say anything, sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table and set up their cereal bowls. Sanji stirred his cereal around, blatantly avoiding looking at Nami.

"Well... I kind of... cut it last night while I was working. Stupid bastards in the kitchen causing a fight right behind me." Sanji grumbled quickly.

"That was a lie." Ussop stated, off-handedly.

Luffy and Nami looked at the long nose. "What? How do you know?" Nami asked, and Luffy nodded. "Yeah, Ussop. It didn't sound like a lie."

Ussop chuckled darkly. "Maybe to you, it didn't. But, I? I am a master. I have trained my ear- no, my whole body, to recognize the signs of a lie. And, that, my disciples, was a whopper."

You'd think if he were that good at spotting a lie, he'd be better at telling them, Sanji thought bitterly. He glared at Ussop for a second, then turned to Nami and beamed. "I would never lie to you~!" He assured her sweetly. Sanji shoveled a mouthful of cereal into his head quickly, hoping to keep himself out from under the bus Ussop was trying so hard to throw him under.

"Oh! Lied again!" Ussop laughed. Sanji kicked Ussop's leg under the table, which was a difficult task when the table was only a foot off the ground, but Ussop still howled in pain. "I'm just trying to help!" Ussop yelled, pouting.

Nami interrupted Sanji's glare by clearing her throat. Her foot was tapping against the floor impatiently. "The truth, if you please." She said sharply. She cast an exaggerated glance at Ussop. Luffy laughed at all of them, with their serious faces, seemingly talking without using words. He was completely lost to that conversation.

"I don't know what happened." Sanji admitted, sighing. Nami looked to Ussop, who confirmed that, no, Sanji wasn't lying that time. The redhead turned her eyes back to Sanji and smiled. "Better. But, what do you mean you don't know what happened?"

Sanji shook his head. He explained what he remembered of the day before, including waking up in the middle of the night with a gash in his hand and feeling like he had a hangover. When he was finished, Luffy and Ussop began discussing sleep-walking, while Nami just looked unimpressed. "So, you were drinking?" She asked, closing her magazine and staring straight at Sanji.

"No! I don't even remember leaving, but the old fart told me I was gone before lunch! I know I wasn't drinking." Sanji said, shaking his head the whole time. Nami still didn't seem to fully believe him, but she nodded once. "Okay. So, you leave the restaurant before lunch and... Do what? Do you remember anything?"

The cook thought about it for a long, hard minute. "I remember being out. Crossing streets, passing people... I don't know what I was doing, though." Sanji said, still thinking on it. The volume of the whole other conversation picked up at hearing that, Luffy spouting something about Sanji kicking ass even in his sleep.

Sanji finished his cereal and took the stuff back to the kitchen. He hesitated at the counter, trying once more to think of what he'd done the day before. "Ne, Sanji-kun!" Nami called from the other room, sounding at least a little less annoyed. "Maybe you just need a sick day?"

"This is a sick day." Sanji told her. Then, he frowned. He wasn't sure what he was taking. Zeff told him not to come back to work until he learned how to be more responsible. Sanji knew from experience that that meant 'until it's really fucking busy', or, 'until you apologize for something that isn't really your fault, but stupid old geezers blame you, anyway'. Or, something like that.

"I mean, like a vacation." Nami said, stepping into view. Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at her. "You know I can't do that, Nami-swan. As much as I appreciate the offer, I-"

"Yeah, we could all go swim at my pool!" Ussop interjected, immediately followed by whooping from Luffy. Nami turned her back to Sanji, hands on her hips. "Uuuuussooooooppuuuuuu... Why didn't I know you had a pooooool?" She asked, her voice ghostly.

Ussop began stammering something unintelligible, until finally, a whole sentence came out; "My, uh, my dad w-w-wanted me to h-have s-s-s-something be-better to do than si-it up in my r-r-room all day!"

Nami scoffed, turning to face Sanji. "What do you say? Take your mind off work and the mystery wound?"

"Yeah, let's go swim!" Luffy yelled, determinedly marching out the door and downstairs, presumably to go to Ussop's house. "Yeah, it'll be fun! It's a really big pool, too, so we can actually all swim at the same time!" Ussop added, making a brief appearance in the doorway to the kitchen before following Luffy.

Sanji sighed. "I don't know. It could get busy today; it always does during the summer."

"Then, bring your phone!" Nami ordered, starting to turn away when Sanji shook his head. "Ussop's house is really far away, though! The old man would have my head-!"

"I'll wear my bikini."

"Hai~!"

* * *

>Zoro lost himself on the outskirts of the island. He wasn't sure where he was anymore. It didn't smell good. But, it didn't need to smell good for him to be able to think. Zoro wasn't really getting past the whole 'leaving the island' thing, but he still tried. He'd promised Chopper that he'd figure it out, anyway.<p><p>

Zoro was fairly certain thinking would get him nowhere. He was always a man of action. Pre-meditated plans were for sissies.

The ground started to slope upwards, eventually into a hill. The grass was wild up until near the top of the hill, where it barely reached his ankle at the tallest. He could hear splashing, then, and voices. He cursed himself for being in his head too much, thus not being able to pay attention to his surroundings. Zoro was about to start investigating when he processed what all he was hearing and smelling.

_The long nose's house...?_

Zoro heard Luffy's voice distinctly, Ussop's voice as well. Sanji spoke up every now and again, and the only reason he knew Nami was there was because she shouted 'shut up' at the top of her harpy lungs. He could barely smell any of them through all the water smell, though. It smelt humid, chlorinated, cemented... and there were hints of human. He wasn't sure what it was, why they were there, or anything, but he was intent on checking it out.

The swordsman crept closer to the sounds, turning his head in the direction of the one-story house surrounded by a six-foot wooden fence. It was a quaint little property, much more sane than other modern homes Zoro had seen, but it was still odd. He could smell a whole bunch of weird things inside, mostly ones he didn't care to think about or smell any longer.

Zoro walked around the fence to the back residence, following his ears. Around the corner of the house, in the backyard, he could see another fence. A smaller one with a three-foot door made of the same planks that comprised the other fence. Over the door, he could see an odd-shaped pond of water, crystal clear but not quite clean. Swimming around in the odd-shaped pond were Ussop, Luffy and Sanji. He didn't recognize whatever device it was assisting Nami in floating across the top of the water while holding a drink in one hand.

Luffy looked over at him suddenly, and immediately grinned. "Hey, Zoro! Ussop, you didn't tell me you invited Zoro!" Luffy whined at Ussop, only to turn back to Zoro and smile again. "Shishishi! Are those your only clothes, Zoro?" Luffy laughed. Zoro didn't know why that was funny.

"H-h-h-h-how di-did you kn-kn-kn-kn-know where I l-l-live?" Ussop stuttered, backing away from Zoro until he reached the edge of the miniature lake. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna know that?" He asked.

Ussop, Sanji and Nami all simultaneously shivered, whereas Luffy just laughed. "It doesn't matter! He's gonna play with us now!" Luffy decided, climbing up a set of steps on the side of the odd-shaped pond and trudging over to Zoro, dripping wet.

Sanji was giving Zoro a weird look the whole time Zoro stood there, pretending to listen to what Luffy and Ussop were saying. Zoro couldn't translate the look into anything understandable, so he just stood there, confused and without a clue.

"Ne, can Zoro borrow a pair of swim trunks, Ussop?" Luffy asked as he dragged Zoro towards the house. "Yeah, su- wait, what? Luffy, no! Nononono!" Ussop scrambled out of the water and after Luffy, who had already opened the back door and let Zoro in.

When Zoro, Luffy and Ussop disappeared into the house, Nami laughed. "I can tell that this is going to be very awkward." She said, pointing the index finger of her free hand at Sanji.

The cook nodded. "Yeah..."

**I am physically averse to good endings. xDD Lol. You may be asking yourself, "How long can NineSoul stretch out a single day?" The answer? Three chapters. xP Direct continuums ftw!**

**Demon shit surfacing... Damn... I'll have to work on an actual plot! I do have something planned, though, and it's frickin' awesome. If ever you were going to abandon reading this story, now would not be the time!**


	14. Du Hast mich gezähmt

**It has just occurred to me that, in chapter 12, Bleib ich bei dir, Sanji is dipping his hand in SEAWATER and says it feels better, when, in actuality... I think it would be painful, stingy and itchy. I'm so fucking smart (not). Anyway, I'll probably explain that away later on. Excuse any mistakes, people, and do enjoy~!**

Sanji watched as Luffy and Ussop, both laughing, pushed a shirtless Zoro, now wearing black swim trunks with a thick blue stripe around the top. Sanji had been working the grill, as per Luffy and Ussop's request, but then he had to pause. Zoro looked like he worked out as a habit and a hobby, which Sanji wouldn't doubt. He remembered seeing Zoro with swords hanging at his hip more often than not, so, he figured that Zoro was either trying to intimidate people by pretending he knew how to handle swords, or he actually knew how to use swords and did so obsessively. At that moment, Sanji decided it was the latter.

Zoro seemed only slightly embarrassed, probably because he'd been forced out of his typical clothing into some stranger's shorts. Aside from what little protesting Zoro did to being forced into the whole situation, he seemed perfectly at ease. Sanji didn't know how he could be. Even around his friends, Sanji was too modest to be comfortable enough to take his shirt off. He couldn't help but wonder if Zoro was silently bragging, the way he carried himself.

And, it didn't help things that Zoro was fucking _tan_. Sanji, himself, was pale as the moon, if not more so. Stupid Zoro, with the inability to get sunburned. Sanji silently damned him and turned back to the various meats on the grill.

"I can't believe Dad's pants actually fit him!" Ussop shouted, amazed. Sanji thought he might have been amazed, too, had he met Ussop's dad, but he kept his reply to a simple 'hmm'.

Nami looked up from stirring her drink with the little pink umbrella, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs the other way. She seemed to analyze Zoro as the three boys stepped onto the wooden deck around the pool. She frowned. "You trust this guy enough to lend him some pants? Aren't you dirt-poor, Ussop?" Nami asked, grinning sinisterly when Ussop shivered.

"Y-yeah, but that's your fault! You're the one stealing all my money!" Ussop cried, thrusting an accusing finger at her. "And, anyway, my dad will hardly miss one pair of pants... Er, maybe." His confidence seemed to drip away as he thought of something that made his face contort in something akin to horror. "Just, uh, you can change back into your regular clothes before you leave, and I'll just wash those shorts and put them back and no one will be any the wiser!" Ussop told Zoro.

Suddenly, water splashed far and loud and Nami screamed. Everyone turned to look at the pool, concerned about what might have happened to her. Until, of course, they saw it was only Luffy and he had just splashed her and jostled her float. When Sanji turned his eyes back to Ussop and Zoro, he saw that Zoro had both his hands hovering around his left hip. He didn't mention it, though.

"Monkey D. Luffy! You got me all wet! You now owe me a conservative fine of eighty-million beli!" Nami shrieked, pointlessly trying to wipe away a puddle of water that had gathered on her chest between her boobs. Sanji caught the movement and shouted, "Mellorine~!"

Nami threw her now-empty cup at Sanji and he caught it with his face. Whether his nose bleed was caused by her cleavage or her aim didn't matter as Luffy and Ussop laughed at him. Zoro was appalled by their behavior. He didn't know humans acted that way towards their friends. He could take it, of course, he was much stronger than they were, but it was still shocking that they treated each other that way.

"Wipe your damn nose and get me a towel! Luffy! Get over here and push me over to the steps so I can get out!" Nami commanded. Sanji immediately complied while Luffy laughed. "Sure, sure!" Luffy said, hooking his arm around the side of Nami's float and pulling her over to the stairs at the edge of the pool.

Nami slid out easily, getting only knee-deep in the water, but she purposely made a large splash and knocked the float back so it fell onto Luffy. Meanwhile, Ussop and Zoro were watching, one laughing hysterically, and the other staring on, not quite sure how to react.

The cook spun around and presented Nami with a fluffy white towel and her pink-tinted cup, nearly full to the brim with iced lemonade and a fresh umbrella. Nami grabbed the towel first and dabbed at her chest and mid-section before taking the drink from Sanji, who was giving her that goofy perverted grin he so often wore. "Oh, shut up." She hissed, turning her back to him as she sipped at her drink.

Sanji just giggled. "You're so cute when you're pissed off~!" He swooned, taking a seat at a little square table with a glass top.

There were three other chairs at that particular table and a couple of beach chairs on the other side of the pool. There was only one tree in the whole of Ussop's yard, so there was hardly any shade to speak of, and, despite his previous determination that, no, he would not get into the swimming pool, Sanji was feeling the need to get away from the sun. It was just so damn _hot_.

He hadn't wanted to swim because, anytime they're even near a pool, Luffy always asks Sanji to teach him how to swim. Which, of course, Luffy couldn't get Ussop to do, or Nami, because he was so hopelessly bad at trying to swim. The only reason, Ussop had told him, that there was even a shallow end of the pool was for Luffy. The only reason, again, Ussop had told him, that there was a pile of water wings, floaties, swim noodles, snorkels, inner tubes, boogie boards, life vests and goggles was for Luffy. Hopelessly bad swimmers looked down on Luffy's 'swimming'.

Sanji sighed. Of course Ussop and Zoro seemed to be stalling getting into the pool, leaving Luffy in there trying to walk his way to the deep end, which was a staggering nine feet deep. Once Luffy was chin-deep in water, Sanji decided to give in. "Luffy, stop. You're just going to fucking drown yourself!" Sanji scolded, tossing off his blue t-shirt and jumping into the deep end. He swam underwater to get to Luffy and surfaced only a foot or so away, so he could reach to stop him.

"No fair! You're just showing off!" Luffy pouted, slipping a little further down the slope into nine-foot water. Sanji pushed Luffy back with little difficulty and guided him to the edge of the pool by the massive pile of floatation devices.

Sanji heaved himself up out of the pool and snagged a circular float with palm trees painted on it. He handed the float to Luffy, who begrudgingly slipped into it. "But, I wanna swim like you! You're a good swimmer, so you can teach me!" Luffy pouted, kicking his legs and accidentally turning himself around in circles.

The cook rolled his eyes. "Well, you're retarded and annoying, but, as always, I will do my best." Sanji told him. The blonde took hold of Luffy's arms, vaguely aware of Ussop and Nami telling him it was pointless to try and teach Luffy again. He showed Luffy to shovel outwards with his hands and allowed him time to copy it on his own.

"Don't people usually learn to swim as children?" Zoro asked, oh-so-helpfully. Sanji turned his un-amused eyes to Zoro and frowned slightly. Zoro returned his frown, although it looked odd and slightly less effective, since he was half naked.

Without a word, Sanji turned back to Luffy and began, for what must have been the fourteenth time, trying to teach Luffy how to swim 'like a frog'. Suddenly, he thought of confronting Zoro about that morning's events. But, he didn't think it would be appropriate, in front of all his friends, to bring up all the many questions he had about Zoro's uncanny visit. Although, he did think it would be fine to bring up that doctor-child, since he seemed to be a friend of Zoro's.

As soon as Sanji set Luffy off to practice swimming, (not really, because he was hardly making any progress), the cook turned to look over at Zoro, who was staring with an odd expression at the pool. "Oi. I meant to ask earlier about that doctor kid- er, Chopper?" Sanji said, catching Zoro's attention.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

Ussop and Nami appeared to be listening in, while Ussop pushed Luffy's float around the pool. They didn't know what Sanji and Zoro were talking about, but it was more interesting than whatever else they might have been doing a moment ago.

"Well, for starters, how is a kid a doctor? What is he, twelve?" Sanji asked, not in a rude way, more in an innocently curious sort of way. Zoro still narrowed his eyes at Sanji. "He's a great doctor, and he's older than he looks." Zoro answered sharply.

Sanji put up his hands in mock surrender. "Just asking." The cook said, deciding that, in fact, talking to Zoro about anything seemed like a bad idea.

"So, wait," Ussop cut in, floating Luffy over to beside Sanji. "You got your hand patched up by a kid?"

"Yeah. It was weird, but he seemed like a nice kid." Sanji said, thoughtfully. Luffy perked up. "Can we meet him? We need a doctor for our crew!" Luffy flailed about in his float with renewed enthusiasm, grinning yet again. Ussop agreed and the two of them began discussing, (talking loudly at each other, not really hearing what the other was saying), the prospect of their journey out to sea, never mind that they hadn't actually planned for when they would set sail.

"Crew?" Zoro asked, now sitting cross-legged beside the pool. Everything seemed to fall silent for a second before Luffy and Ussop exploded with chatter, Nami adding in a hyper sentence here and there. The cook just smiled, shaking his head a little. Sanji decided to get out of the pool for a while, let the nut-cases talk themselves and Zoro to death without anyone in between.

-~Switching~-

Zoro realized he probably shouldn't have asked, the moment everyone started talking his ears off. He was only mildly curious; he really didn't want to be there for ages listening to the ramblings of three adolescent humans, especially if he wasn't going to get a straight answer.

He watched Sanji climb out of the mini-lake and dry off. He didn't understand why they would willingly jump into a body of water like that, only to get out and dry themselves a few minutes later. It seemed like a pointless ritual, almost as much as the 'swim trunks' ritual. What were they, anyway? Netted, short, noisy pants, with uncomfortable waistbands and odd colors. He felt stupid for subjecting to the human customs.

Although, Zoro would admit, they all seemed to match perfectly with their choice in clothing. Well, not Nami. He didn't understand why she would wear only undergarments and bare her breasts and backside, because that was completely indecent. He did not understand Sanji's affinity for that woman.

Thinking of Sanji, his eyes gravitated to that goddamn bandage. Yet another thing he didn't understand was the weird feeling he got when he looked at the bandage adorning Sanji's right hand. It was stupid and it felt bad, but it wouldn't stop no matter how much he wanted it to. Fucking... whatever it was. A hindrance! A hindrance is what it was. Fucking hindrance.

Zoro turned back to the two-headed blathering beast that was Ussop and Luffy, trying to pick out the point of their endless words. He heard something about pirates, various pirate-y things like treasure and whatnot. Ussop was going on about being a brave warrior, while Luffy kept saying he was the Captain. Zoro hardly understood them, but he found their enthusiasm was making him smile. They were really confident, for having only double-digit ages.

"Ne, Zoro, why haven't you gotten in yet? The water's great!" Luffy shouted, grinning and telling Ussop to push him over to the shallow end so he could walk again.

Zoro shrugged. "Don't wanna." He said, simply. He was starting to get a little warm, but he wasn't sure what to think of the perfectly-clear water. It didn't seem trustworthy.

Suddenly, he was launched forward by a strong blow to the middle of his back. He face-planted into the water, getting the air knocked out of him in the process, though he was half certain that was from whatever had pushed him.

Zoro was a little disoriented, but he found his way the surface soon enough and took in a loud gasp of air. Immediately, he spotted Sanji standing beside where he had been sitting before he was launched into the water. Sanji was grinning a stupid, evil grin, his leg raised slightly. Damn him. He must've kicked me.

"The fuck was that for?" Zoro growled and Sanji laughed at him. Luffy was laughing, too, though Ussop and Nami both had paled. Why were only two of the humans scared of him?

Sanji shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea." He said nonchalantly as he continued to grin at Zoro. God, Zoro wished he had his swords with him. He would fucking slice that little bastard into tiny- _Oh, wait... He's a human... Damn it..._

Zoro continued to glare at Sanji and that only made the cook laugh again. "Nice face, Marimo bastard." Sanji taunted, grinning down at him. It wasn't an intimidating grin, or even a teasing one, but it still pissed Zoro off.

He walked through the water quickly over to the edge and was about to climb out when he saw that everyone was staring. Then, it occurred to him that humans have difficulty walking through anything but empty air. And, he had practically just sprinted through the water in a moment's time. "Uh..." He began, not quite sure what he was going to say.

"That... was..." Ussop was searching for words when Luffy blurted out; "AWESOME! That was so fucking cool! You have to do that again!"

"Y-yeah... How'd you do that?" Nami asked, staring at him with wide eyes and holding her drink at such an angle that Zoro was surprised it hadn't spilled all over her lap.

Zoro looked at each of their faces in turn, trying to come up with some logical reason. He figured that right then was not a good time to bring up the fact that he was not really a human like the rest of them. "Just... had a lot of training." Zoro said, almost a question. Luckily for him, Ussop and Luffy just gawked and Nami seemed to believe him. He couldn't tell what Sanji was thinking, but it didn't look much like he believed him.

"Wow!"

"Zoro you're so cool!"

"Hey- maybe you can train us?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea!"

The next few minutes were spent explaining away his small feat, though they already believed him, he just felt it was necessary. Sanji was still giving him that skeptical look, almost distrusting. That wasn't a good look to be on the receiving end of; Zoro knew that from experience.

Eventually, everything leveled out a bit, not so much gawking and talking, just goofing off. Zoro didn't really know what typical teenage humans acted like these days, but he had a feeling that they were not far from the norm as everyone swam around in the pool, (aside from Luffy, who was clinging stubbornly to the side of the pool in the deep end).

Nami floated past him in her odd device, the tips of her toes barely touching the water. He didn't understand the point of being in the water, only to not be in the water, but no one else was saying anything and he really didn't want to hear the redhead explain herself. Her voice was so annoying.

Zoro had an odd urge to show off again. Not that he'd tried to show off before; it was really just an accident. But, he was a little bored just listening to senseless babble about sailing and whatever the hell 'high school' was. He didn't know what he could really say about either subject, so, for the most part, he was silently swimming above water, trying to act at least similar to how a human would act.

He felt slow and weird trying to swim like the water in any way affected him. Zoro had never really been one for swimming, even though, as guardian of an island, he did know how to swim quite well. He preferred land to water. Well, sometimes when he makes up ways to train himself, he would include the ocean, or a river, or whatever he felt would make it even the tiniest bit more difficult.

But, he decided, acting like a human was a difficult enough way to train.

"Ne, Sanji~ Get that float for meeee~!" Luffy whined, pointing to a solid black floating device, similar to the one Nami was using. Sanji barely paid him any attention, just calling over his shoulder, "You can get it yourself."

"But, Sanjiiiii..." Luffy pouted, reaching as far as he could out towards the middle of the pool where the float was turning slowly. He was a good two feet from getting it and he couldn't reach any farther without losing the support of the wall. He pouted harder.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "I'll get-"

"No." Sanji interrupted him.

Zoro glared at the back of the blonde head. "No?" He asked, his voice giving away that he wasn't completely past having been pushed into the water by Sanji.

The cook turned from where he had been doting on Nami to look at Zoro. "Exactly. No. He doesn't seem to be able to learn with help, so, maybe on his own..." Sanji trailed off with a shrug and Ussop applauded. "Of course, that was my plan, all along!" The long nose announced.

Nami seemed skeptical. "Are you sure that's a good idea? He's such an idiot... He'll get himself drowned."

"Hey! I'm right here, Nami!" Luffy grumbled, casting a longing glance towards that float that really wasn't very far out of his reach.

Zoro decided he wouldn't listen to Sanji, which wasn't really a stretch from his usual, so, he took a slight breath and slipped underwater. He didn't limit himself to human-speed that time, coming up quickly between the float and Luffy. When Luffy saw him come up, he grinned brightly. "Thanks, Zoro!"

The swordsman returned the grin slightly. "Nothin' to it." He said, handing the floating device to Luffy. A weird feeling crawled up his spine and stopped at the back of his neck, causing Zoro to turn around. He didn't see anything different. Ussop and Nami were still discussing the pros and cons of letting Luffy learn how to swim on his own, Sanji was still keeping himself afloat near the edge of the pool. _So, what the hell was that feeling, just now?_

* * *

><p>Sanji figured the stuff on the grill was almost done, so he got out of the pool. He felt the beginnings of sunburn on his shoulders and cheeks, but it really wasn't bothering him as much as he'd thought it would. He was actually having an okay day, despite how it had started.<p>

The cook dried off quickly and looked around. There weren't any plates, or dishes of any sort, aside from a pitcher and a couple of cups like Nami's. And, of course, the refrigerated foods and snack foods that were requested and mostly picked up on the way there were still in the house. Sanji started on his way towards the house and, only as an afterthought, shouted over his shoulder; "One of you bastards come help me, and don't you dare send Nami-swan!"

He didn't really like having to ask for help, he was the chef, after all, so he should be able to make his friends lunch without bothering them. And, ultimately, it was only bothering him, because their help was never very helpful.

Sanji opened the back door and shut it almost all the way, leaving it open as a small, little, tiny, insignificant courtesy to whomever came to help him. As he twirled around the kitchen, turning every which way in search of the 'secret hiding place' Ussop had put most of what they'd bought on their way there, Sanji was reminded of work and, by extension, Zeff. Stupid fight. Banned from work. Sure, it was probably all just Zeff's twisted way of showing concern about Sanji's injury, but it was fucking idiotic. Sanji always worked. He lived his work.

The cook held his hand up to his face and a wispy thought about the bandages being soaked passed through his mind. He wasn't sure if he should change the bandages or not, since it was only around two o'clock in the afternoon, but the wet feeling was starting to bother him. Sanji realized he'd completely forgotten what he was supposed to be doing and quickly got back to work. Then, he noticed Zoro standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring.

Sanji gasped and practically jumped out of his skin. "The fuck, Zoro? You some kinda ghost or something?" Sanji asked, hand over his chest in an attempt to keep his heart from jumping out and punching him.

Zoro had a weird look on his face. He didn't act like he'd heard Sanji at all, so the cook rolled his eyes. "Hey! Marimo!" He snapped his fingers in front of Zoro's face and gave him a reprimanding look. "What's with you?" Sanji asked.

"... I... uh..." Zoro blinked several times. He looked like he was thinking, which, Sanji had decided, was not a good sign. "About your hand..." Zoro finally said, sounding like someone other than himself. Sanji's eyebrows shot up. "Do you know what happened?" Sanji asked, too curious to be angry that it had taken Zoro so long to mention it, if he really did know.

"Just, er..." Zoro looked frustrated, then, trying to come up with what to say. Sanji widened his eyes at Zoro briefly, silently telling him to spit it out. "Is it hurting?" Zoro finished, causing Sanji to deflate considerably.

The blonde barely kept himself from pouting. He had really wanted to know what happened to his hand. "Not really. 'S fine." Sanji mumbled, flexing the fingers on his right hand carefully. He flinched slightly at the pain, taking in a sharp breath and cursing himself for being so pathetic. It was just a cut. He was a chef of the sea; he shouldn't be affected by a mere cut.

"That was a good lie." Zoro said, sarcastically. Sanji scrunched up his nose in Zoro's general direction, as he turned away and began to gather up the stuff they needed for lunch. Since Zoro wasn't moving to help him, Sanji circled around the breakfast bar and handed Zoro a bunch of paper/Styrofoam dishes.

Zoro grabbed onto Sanji's arm as he started to turn away. "What?" Sanji asked, confused and annoyed. There was stuff to be done, and besides, Zoro never touched him unless he was trying to start a fight. Sanji looked down at Zoro's hand on his arm, realizing with odd timing that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I'm sorry about your hand." Zoro said. His eyes were so serious Sanji couldn't believe that Zoro didn't know more than he was telling. He couldn't figure out what the hell Zoro was thinking, staring unwaveringly at Sanji with a strange remorseful expression. And, then it occurred to him;

"You did this?"

**xDD I am a masterful story-ender! Hahaha, that was so bad! You all get to stew in suspense for the next few days while I work on teh next chapter! lolz!**

**This chapter didn't turn out like I planned, but there's always next time. I had hoped it would be funner, but sometimes it just writes itself and decides, "No, I want to be dramatic!" Stupid self-writing story... I thought I was in control? Well, whatever, I still know what to do. ^-^ The next one will be a good chapter, I think... 3**


	15. Doch unendlich fern

Zoro grumbled to no one in particular as he found himself obsessively roaming around. Again.

It was the fourth time in five days that he decided to walk the perimeter of the island, as well as a few places in the middle. He couldn't stop himself from doing it; his feet always moved on their own while he was thinking. It was a little frustrating sometimes, but usually it helped him.

He was awfully confused. Five days ago, at the pool with all his usual humans, was the last time Zoro had seen the cook. And quite an encounter it had been. He hadn't meant to let on about being the one that hurt Sanji's hand, it just happened. He didn't know what had possessed him to do it, but, when Sanji had asked, he had answered honestly.

Sanji had kicked his ass pretty good for a human. Zoro hadn't been expecting what he'd gotten, just like he hadn't been expecting it the last time that Sanji had kicked him. Only, at the pool, Zoro didn't have his swords and Sanji didn't have his shoes. But, the blonde still had the advantage. The most embarrassing thing Zoro thought had ever happened to him had happened that day, when the other three humans that weren't out for his blood had saved him.

It was embarrassing because he needed their help in the first place, not because they helped him. He was glad they did, proud, almost. But, he was ashamed of himself for not winning. Sanji was just a fucking human, and it wasn't like Zoro was bad at hand-to-hand combat. Not to mention the strength that came with being a centuries-old demon. He could easily best fifteen humans. So, why couldn't he beat that one?

_The look on his face..._ Zoro remembered, guiltily. The cook had looked hurt and enraged and betrayed and sad all at once. His blows were backed by fury, whereas Zoro was only defending himself. He wouldn't attack a human deliberately. Well, not when he was thinking about it. He had been thinking very clearly at that time, which surprised him further. He was so confused about everything and all he wanted to do was fix it and be done.

But, Zoro didn't know how to fix it. He was hardly accustomed to the strange things his brain was thinking and doing over the past few days. Worst of all was the weird feeling that had settled on the back of his neck and in the pit of his stomach. It hadn't faded once since Sanji had left the pool in a rage.

Zoro almost wanted to bring Chopper back again, to tell him about the feeling and everything. But, Chopper had his own life, and Zoro wasn't much for sharing feelings. He didn't know what on earth would compel him to spill his guts to someone. He knew suffering in silence was always better, and there would be no one else to tell him he was being stupid if the feelings lasted much longer.

Five days was much too long in the first place, but, any longer than that? No. He simply couldn't do it. If he went one more night without sleep because of that strange feeling, he would be at his wits' end.

The sun dipped below the horizon as Zoro concluded his third lap around the island that day. He wandered in towards the city, not exactly sure where he was going to go. The powerful smell of food from different cultures and different styles greeted him as he moved further away from the beach. The smell of human, of sweat and perfumes and gasoline and thousands of smells, all piled on top of one another, over-lapping in disgusting ways.

The look of things wasn't much better; dirty streets, strange, shady people. There were prettier things elsewhere, so, Zoro didn't know why he was in the city again. There were, of course, nice things in the city; impressive and beautiful things in and around the many buildings and residences. But, Zoro still preferred the un-inhabited areas.

Confused as to why he still couldn't make himself turn back, Zoro looked around. He recognized his surroundings, yes, but he couldn't remember exactly where he was headed. He remembered Luffy's house was somewhere around there, but he didn't think that was it.

Soon, the number of humans on the streets began to dwindle as they filed into restaurants or went home for dinner. Zoro practically sighed when almost all the mindless chatter was muffled. It made walking through the human city much more tolerable, even if he still didn't know why he was tolerating it and not just going home.

Zoro started to feel the odd sensation on the back of his neck tingle, and the feeling in his stomach twisted and turned. Had he been human, he might have thought he felt sick. But, demons don't get sick, so, he didn't know what to make of it, just as he hadn't known what to make of the feeling when it was simply there, not moving around and causing him to twitch and fidget in annoyance.

He turned to cross the street, but his limbs became incredibly stiff and heavy. He frowned. Zoro didn't know what was going on, not even a little bit, but his instincts were clearly telling him not to cross the street. But, what his instincts might have against crossing the street, Zoro didn't know. He growled slightly in frustration before turning back to face forward and walking in the first direction his limbs would let him move in.

It was stupid, being controlled by his limbs. And, whatever fucking instinct it was telling him he had to go. He could almost hear it inside his head, it was so strong. He'd only experienced that a few times before. The situations didn't relate in the slightest, except that, the first time he ever felt that way... Zoro frowned deeper and walked with a little more purpose towards his goal, wherever that was. He didn't want to think about what it could be, or what it had been.

As Zoro continued to power-walk on the ever-darkening streets, he picked up a smell. A fresh smell, that was familiar and foreign at the same time. It smelled incredibly sweet, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was sickeningly strong and seemed to float straight into his nostrils from its origin point. Zoro could only guess that it was close, since the smell practically knocked him over.

His boots seemed to pick themselves up and send him in the direction of the sweet smell, although the intensity of it was about enough to make him retch. He never had been one for sweets, so he didn't know why he was moving towards it. He scrunched up his nose and tried to breath such that he wasn't taking in that smell as much, wishing his damn legs would just listen and get him the hell away from there.

And, then he heard it.

The most beautiful voice he'd heard in centuries, singing without music, but not suffering for it. Zoro knew he didn't look it, but he had always appreciated good music, especially singing. In the recent decade, he'd heard people trying to pass off any screeching cat or tone-deaf walrus as being musicians, artist, vocalists, but, that they were not. At the moment, even the better human music seemed to pale in comparison to the oddly familiar voice floating alongside the sweet smell.

"*Negai ga kanau nara, mmm~... amyuuzu, jikan o tomete niji o mi ni ikou," Zoro realized he'd stopped walking, somewhere dark and dingy. It took only a moment for his dazed mind to realize he was in an alley, and then he began to move, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Kowagaranaide, mmm~... kashusu gaaru shiawase ni naru, shunkan mariaju~"

Zoro jumped up on top of one of the buildings that made the alley and his eyes widened. There, on the roof, was his cot that he had set up ages ago to watch over the cook. So, rightfully, as his eyes drifted up only a bit, there was the cook's bedroom, window wide open.

"Shiri uru kagiri no sozai o ginmi, boy meets girl na collaboration," Zoro's mind completely blanked as he looked through Sanji's room, through his open bedroom door, through the hallway and watched the blonde chef swaying ridiculously as he sang. "Konya no dorama no shuyaku wa kimi sa, nice and easy ni Muuran Ruuju~"

He continued to sway, humming something of a musical bridge as he stood in the middle of the living room, apparently holding something. His back was to Zoro, but that didn't matter. Zoro could hear him smiling in the way his voice sounded and, despite his annoyance with the cook, and how stupid and weird he constantly was, Zoro liked the song even more.

"Mikazuki o gurasse shite sora ni ukabeyou, kimi no namida o konkasse~ Guuzen no yoru e makichirasou, mmm~" Sanji paused in his singing to lick something off his finger experimentally. He smiled and began humming again, as he moved out of Zoro's view. The demon had an odd urge to enter the apartment, to get a better seat so he could watch and listen at the same time, preferably closer.

"Kimi ga hohoemu toki boku no mune o, kyaramerize~" More humming as the cook spun back into view. He hummed for a long time, grinning like the idiot he was as he moved his hips to the song that only he and Zoro could hear. He was holding a dish rag, moving it around as if he were dancing with it, and twirled the rag a little as he began to sing again. "Mayonaka no aji to wa, mmm~ shokoro noire amakute nigai omoide hajimaru~... Sonna kao shinaide, mmm~ biskyui gaaru, wakare wa itsumo hekishoku mariaju~"

Zoro found himself smiling goofily at Sanji's dance and immediately snapped out of it. He was certainly not entranced by the cook. That would not do, if he were, but he wasn't. Zoro despised the cook, since he was so rude and fucking just a stupid perverted angry chef. He didn't like Zoro at all, so Zoro didn't like him at all and that was the way it was going to be.

"What are you doing?"

Zoro jumped slightly and made to draw his swords, which he had left at his shrine. He relaxed slightly as he processed the voice he had just heard and turned his head to the side. Chopper was standing behind him and a bit to the right, in his human form and holding his doctor bag. He cocked an eyebrow at Zoro and tilted his head to the side, waiting for his answer. "Don't fucking sneak up on me." Zoro grumbled, glancing back at Sanji without turning his head.

Chopper's human eyebrows shot up and he flashed back to a reindeer briefly. "Is that even possible?" He asked, incredulous. Zoro narrowed his eyes at the doctor and Chopper squeaked a little before adding, "I mean, uh... s-since we're demons- er, you, uh, didn't you sense me?"

The swordsman rolled his eyes. "Of course I did!" He lied, "I just thought you were... gonna check on the shitty cook or something."

"Oh, well, yes, I am. I'm not terribly eager to go in, though. He called me a bit ago and asked me to come over, but he warned me that his dad was rather difficult about letting..." Chopper interrupted himself with a giggle, covering his mouth with a small human hand. Zoro gave him a look and he finished, "Letting friends up into their home!"

Chopper giggled again, his adorable squeaky laugh drowning out the cook's continuous singing for a moment. "He called me his friend! Isn't that great?"

Zoro was fuming slightly, his eyebrow twitching. It would have been great, he thought, if he didn't suspect Sanji had other reasons for inviting Chopper to his house, besides the hand thing. He had a feeling that, since Sanji knew he and Chopper were friends, he would try and get information out of Chopper about his hand by telling him that he knew it was Zoro's fault. At least, that's what Zoro thought he was going to do.

The little doctor eyed Zoro curiously for a minute and, when Zoro didn't say anything, he got up and hopped down from the roof, landing gracefully on his feet. He adjusted his pink top hat briefly before looking up at Zoro, who was looking down from the roof at him. "I'm gonna go check on him now, I suppose. See you in a bit!" Chopper waved and smiled at him before he pushed open the front door to the Baratie and entered carefully, as if expecting to be thrown out at any second.

Zoro watched the spot where Chopper had been standing a moment ago for another few seconds before he turned his eyes back to Sanji's window. He couldn't see the cook anymore and he could only just barely hear him still humming. He could still smell the sweet, though, and it surprised him that it took so long to notice that the sickening smell was still there. It had faded slightly and taken on a hint of a savory smell, causing Zoro to frown. The sweet was hardly disguised by the other smell. Whoever thought that would work was an idiot. It still smelled bad to him.

He heard shouting from within the restaurant and then Sanji's humming stopped. He heard Sanji yelling, a moment later, and then a door slammed and Sanji and Chopper walked into view briefly. They conversed quietly, so that even Zoro had trouble hearing them. But, he could still tell that they were talking about the humans, talking about Chopper meeting them. Zoro didn't mind so much about that; he'd actually like it if Chopper decided to hang out with the humans. Zoro wanted to know if Chopper would have the same reaction to them that he did.

But, aside from talking about the humans, mostly Luffy, whom Sanji said was already looking forward to meeting Chopper, he could hear all the usual questions that came from any of the humans who ever met Chopper as a doctor. "How old are you really?"; "How are you a doctor?"; "Why is your nose blue?"; "Are you cold?"

Chopper answered each as honestly as he could, obviously dodging the age question. He was just over two centuries old, Zoro knew, but who would believe that? The only answer he ever gave humans was 'I'm older than I look.'

As Chopper was answering Sanji's questions, Zoro could hear him fiddling in his bag. The doctor asked Sanji various medical questions and stuck around long enough to ask for something that Zoro didn't quite hear. When Chopper finally left the Baratie, he didn't actually come and talk to Zoro, like he had insinuated that he would, but, instead, he went home. Zoro would catch up with him some other day and inquire about Sanji's hand, but, until then, he was fine where he was.

Sanji flitted in and out of view for another hour or two, darting back and forth across the apartment, apparently cleaning up. After that, he changed into nightclothes that Zoro was puzzled by. The ever-immaculate Sanji, in plaid boxers and an over-sized blue 'kiss the cook' t-shirt. It made him look even skinnier than he normally did, which was a difficult thing to do.

Zoro noticed, at that moment, that he was sitting there, on the roof of a jewelry store, completely absorbed in the activities of one solitary, annoying human. And, that the feeling in the back of his neck and the pit of his stomach was gone. The sweet smell was practically gone, except for traces that lingered in the air very lightly. Both sensations being gone gave Zoro a wonderful calm feeling and he sighed contentedly. He had almost forgotten what it was like to feel normal, after having that feeling haunting him for five days.

Without realizing it, Zoro had been lying down on the cot on the roof well into the night. He'd wasted his prime land-roaming time and the brightest of the moonlight. He sat up and looked around, as if expecting to see the reason he had stayed there so long. He hadn't intended to. Actually, he hadn't intended to be there at all, let alone stay half the night.

The swordsman stood and brushed the dirt off his pants. He took off into the night, hoping to arrive at his shrine before morning.

* * *

><p><em>He is looking at me. Why is he doing that? I don't understand. I don't understand anything, actually. I look around, hoping to see something, anything, other than him, directly in my path. I don't understand why he stands there. He knows something and he isn't telling me. But, I know things that I'm not telling him either. Who, even, is he? I don't exactly know. Aren't we friends, though? He seems friendly enough.<em>

_His gaze hardens into a glare and I flinch. I don't flinch, it's just not something that I do, so, why? If there were any more questions in my head, it would blow up. I don't understand anything, nothing at all, and everyone who holds each answer to each question, also holds a new question. I don't suppose those questions will be any easier than the ones I've already got. But, I need to find those people. I need answers. Don't I deserve answers? I think I do. I haven't done anything wrong._

_His eyes soften and he takes a step closer to me. I'm holding my breath, I realize, and he knows it, too. He knows a lot of things that no one normal should know. So why, through all of this, with the pain and the questions and the danger, aren't I backing away?_

*** These lyrics are, creatively, all from Sanji's character song 'Moulin Rouge'. You should listen to that song, if you haven't already, it's nice. (Also, I am quite a bit in love with Hiroaki Hirata's voice! xD)**

**I haven't got much to say about this chapter... Well, uh, that last bit was a dream, not thoughts, just so you know... xD Because I felt the need to elaborate, there. Anyways, I need to get some sleep sometime this decade, so, if you don't mind, I'll be off to bed. *Yawns* You can leave a review in my absence, thank you, come again. xP**


	16. Ich sehe nach dir

**Ehh, biding my time until they all can go back to school, (in 8 days, dammit). This chapter turned out better and more purposeful than I thought it was going to be, so... enjoy!**

Sanji finally decided to get up after nearly twenty minutes of denying his stomach the cereal it craved. It was far too early for him to be up, he'd be bored long before opening time on the restaurant, but he was awake and his body was making him stay awake.

He walked quietly through the hall, not wanting to hear the old fart complaining about him being up too soon, and went to the kitchen. The apartment looked washed-out in the blue light of pre-sunrise morning, every single white surface becoming ghostly and every dark surface simply a void in an otherwise-visible room. Sanji was used to it, having woken up too early many times before in his life.

The cook went about his breakfast ritual as quietly as he could, set the dishes in the sink carefully, and then tip-toed back to his room. He left the door open since he didn't really care and went to his closet to pick out his clothes for the day. His hands itched to grab a suit, but it was yet too soon for three-piece, expensive, charming attire. Sanji sighed, grabbing some khaki shorts and a nice blue polo that he always got compliments on.

Sanji hummed along to an un-named song that was bouncing around inside his head. He was sure it had a title and an artist, but it snuck up on him so suddenly that he could not yet think of either. He changed into his day clothes and brushed his teeth, avoiding using his right hand for much of anything, because it was sore as hell. Brushing left-handed took for-fucking-ever, but when he finally did finish, Sanji was still feeling just as patient as when he started. It seemed like it was going to be a good day.

He danced through the hall again, since the old geezer was still snoozing, and skipped his way down the stairs. He wasn't sure why he was so cheerful, but he was sure that it was the happiest he'd been in a while.

Downstairs, the restaurant looked so peaceful and nice in the early morning light. Sanji wished he could participate in prepping for the breakfast crowd, but he knew Zeff wouldn't let him until he could go without a bandage on his hand. The cook glanced down at his hand and flexed his fingers. The gauze wrap was so constricting, but he still needed it. His hand was sore and burning and it somewhat dampened his mood, but he was determined to act like the cheery early bird he was.

Sanji explored the empty kitchen, spotless and gleaming in all its glory. He liked to come in early, after the nightly clean up, but before the morning shift. It made him better appreciate his often time-consuming and stressful job. The blonde ran his hand along the stainless steel counter before stepping out the restaurant's back door for a smoke.

He reached for his cigarettes, taking a step away from the door in case someone decided to slam it out on him. Sanji felt something under his bare foot and looked down curiously, still retrieving his cigarettes. On the ground by his feet was a velvet-wrapped rectangle, tied neatly around the middle with a piece of string in a bow. Sanji furrowed his eyebrows at it, as if it would simply explain itself. It didn't, so he picked it up.

Sanji pulled one of the string ends and the twine drifted to the ground, setting the velvet wrapping free on the underside of the package. Sanji flipped it over and took only a second to recognize the crinkled, yellowing paper, marked by an old italic scrawl. _Journal of Gol D. Roger._

The cook peered around at the wide alley that was behind the Baratie and frowned in confusion. It must have been Robin who left it there, since she was the one who had the journal last, but he couldn't imagine her in the dingy alley, dropping off a loosely-wrapped item of historic significance. Not that he really cared for the shitty book, but Robin would. And, he'd told her she was welcome anytime. _She must've been in a hurry..._ He thought. Sanji looked both ways again and stepped back inside, nicotine forgotten.

He went up to his room, taking the stairs leisurely and knocking on Zeff's door as he passed it. "We open in an hour, old man." He said, not really putting much effort in his insult. The cook was focused solely on the diminished journal in his hand. When he got to his room, he shut the door behind himself and flopped stomach-down across his bed, with half his legs hanging off the side.

The light from the window was just bright enough for him to read the faded ink, so Sanji settled further into his bed and turned pages until he found something that sounded interesting._ An island in the sky, huh? This guy really was a quack._

Sanji read about the man's adventures, about the rough seas and the persistent enemies, as well as the so-called 'justice' enforcers, Marines. Personally, Sanji had never seen a Marine, or anything of the like, but apparently their system was corrupt. According to the centuries-old journal of a crazy man, anyway.

Downstairs, Sanji could hear clanging and clattering, signaling the arrival of more than one employee. He heard the scuff of Zeff's peg leg against the hardwood floor of the living room, heading towards the door down to the restaurant. He could hear the grumbling of voices, either Zeff's, or downstairs, he didn't know. It seemed the morning was carrying on around him as he lay invisible to the world.

* * *

><p>Zoro tried to see what Sanji was doing, but the blonde was directly against the wall to the side of the window, such that he couldn't see anything from where he was. Well, he could see Sanji's legs swinging in the air above his back, but that was about it.<p>

He didn't know why he was even there; let alone why he was spying. Watching and keeping safe was one thing, but spying? That wasn't his style. He should leave, he knew, but he didn't make any effort to go. Zoro really wished there weren't so many things that he didn't know, for example, why he was watching Sanji again. Stupid questions. _Why won't they just answer themselves already?_

Zoro groaned, dropping to a crouch on the jewelry store's roof with his arms hanging off his knees. He should've been guarding the whole island, he reminded himself, but he didn't want to move. It wasn't fun or exciting watching the cook, although sometimes it was amusing or intriguing. Mostly, it was boring. Nothing ever happened while he was there. Well, aside from that one incident, but that was a long time ago.

The pair of legs swinging above Sanji's back stopped and Zoro snapped out of his thoughts. The cook rolled over once, twice, lying on his stomach again and this time Zoro could see that he was reading a book. It looked fucking old. The pages were yellow and patchy and the writing was characteristic of that of a quill pen. He remembered that kind of writing very well. Somewhat randomly, Zoro thought that if he were up close and personal with the old book, he would be able to smell the bark of an extinct tree.

Something about the book seemed familiar, aside from its antique qualities. He could've been mistaken, Zoro had seen a lot of old shit, but on his island hundreds of years ago they wrote on scrolls. It was a well-respected custom and art back in the fourteen-hundreds, and became standard up until the mid-eighteen-hundreds. He wasn't sure why they phased out scrolls. Perfectly efficient. But, it didn't matter. That book was at least two-hundred years old, he was sure of it.

The cook laughed suddenly, startling Zoro. The demon was shocked still by the joyous smile on Sanji's face. He didn't think he'd ever seen the blonde look as happy as he did then, eyes crinkled and laughing like a child. Not that he'd really seen much of him, but when he had Sanji was either pissed, annoyed, annoying, or focused on cooking something. But, Zoro didn't care. Happy or not, it was none of his business.

Zoro got up and jumped down, landing in front of the jewelry store. It was only just past dawn. Nobody would notice. He figured he should start his rounds while it was still early, and while he had nothing better to do. The demon could still hear Sanji's laughter as he walked down the street, passing the Baratie's entrance.

* * *

><p>Sanji marked the book with an old receipt and rolled out of bed. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, taking slow steps towards the door. It had gotten to be nearly ten in the morning, he noticed as he passed through the living room of the apartment. He'd been awake for five hours. Reading.<p>

The cook sighed, raking a hand through his slightly knotted hair. He really had intended to do something meaningful with his day, perhaps prove himself as an able chef, rather than a crippled child, but that journal, although he was sure it was complete bullshit, was really interesting. It could've been a novel, if any of the events were related by something more substantial than the occasional hair's breadth reference to a past event.

He did like to read. Of course. But, he hadn't read very many books in the past few years, and the ones he had read were required for school. He just didn't have time, what with being the assistant head chef. That being said, he very often forgot how much he enjoyed just sitting and reading, enjoying the experience of a good book. He really should thank Robin.

Sanji stepped into his shoes, his good 'off-duty' shoes without laces or straps or anything. Just slip on and out the door. Time wasn't really important, but he was glad to be saving some. Sanji stepped carefully through the busy kitchen, bidding good morning to the chefs and slipping out the back door without so much as an explanation. He really didn't need to say anything, after all.

The streets were relatively busy for the middle of the week. Sure, it was summer, but all the pedestrian lights were congested, as well as the streets. Cars were lined up to every light, humming and honking. Sanji liked the city, really he did, but sometimes he wished he lived in the middle of nowhere.

Traffic was slow-moving, even though Sanji took every back road and short-cut imaginable. When he finally got to Robin's, normally a twenty-minute walk, he was sure it must've been two hours. He stepped up to her door, pulled the brass knocker back and let go. Sanji wondered as he stood on the short front steps if he should have called first. Then, Robin opened the door.

"Oh, Cook-san? What a surprise." Robin hummed, not sounding very surprised in Sanji's opinion. She smiled at him and stepped aside, silently inviting him into her house. The cook smiled back at her and bowed his head politely before entering. "I'm sorry to have just showed up without warning, Robin-chan." He apologized.

Robin walked beside him in the small foyer, shaking her head. "No, it's alright. I had expected you would be by in the next day or two, just not this soon." She said, in her ever-polite tone. They sat down on opposite sides of the coffee table in the blue-and-white floral couches. Robin clasped her fingers together in her lap and smiled expectantly. "What is it you have come here for?"

Sanji held up the journal, which he had carried with him all the way there, reading a bit when he was stuck waiting for traffic to move. "I wanted to thank you," He said earnestly, smiling. "For giving this to me. Or, leaving it on the steps, or what have you. I've enjoyed reading this very much, Robin-chwan!"

"I'm glad to hear it." Robin said, still smiling. Sanji felt, somehow, that she was trying to end conversation and get him to leave. He, as a gentleman, would not keep her away from whatever she wanted to do for very long.

Sanji hesitated a little awkwardly. "Ah... Well... Oh, yes, why haven't I seen you at the restaurant lately? Your graceful presence was such a welcome bright spot in my day." Sanji commented, halfway fishing for something to make his visit more valid. Robin nodded. "Yes, I apologize for that. I've been busy." She explained shortly.

The cook was appalled at her blatant behavior. He could take a hint, of course, but it was shocking to think that Robin would be hinting at his departure. Snubbed conversation? Hospitality not extended? She was most certainly a busy woman, but Sanji had expected her to be more delicate about shooing people away.

"I guess I'll be going, then?" Sanji half-asked, standing up and adjusting his shirt. Robin stood as well and gestured towards the door with a graceful sweep of her hand. Sanji walked to the door quietly and stepped out before turning back to look at Robin. He opened his mouth and began to speak, but she closed the door in his face. Sanji could swear he heard the lock turn a second later.

"Oi!"

Sanji jumped a little, turning on his heel. The call had startled him, mostly because he thought he recognized it. It sounded just like the ignorant-minded attention-call of a Marimo bastard, if his ears weren't playing tricks on him.

And, so it was. Zoro stood across the street in the space between two houses, looking like he was about to scream and break stuff. Sanji wanted to go over there and just beat the shit out of him, but he couldn't do that. He'd already gotten in all the anger he could get; his window of opportunity had passed. It would be overkill for him to physically harm Zoro in any way. The cook stared at him long and hard before turning away and starting down the street.

"Hey!" Zoro shouted, whether trying to get his attention or not, he didn't know. But, he didn't look back. "Oi, cook!" Zoro called again and Sanji had to fight the urge to face palm. Of course Zoro was talking to him. The shithead wasn't one to give up easily, Sanji gathered.

A strong yank on his arm held the cook back from walking any further and he had to look. It was compulsory, something he just did when somebody messed with him. He'd either kick the living shit out of them, or he'd intimidate whoever into leaving him alone. Unless it was one of his friends. But, Zoro wasn't.

Sanji glared at Zoro through narrowed eyes. He couldn't read the man's expression, though. It was an emotion he'd never seen on Zoro's face, so he couldn't immediately determine whether or not he should be taking offensive action.

"What did she say to you? Did she do anything?" Zoro practically shouted in his face. Sanji frowned deeply and tried to pull his arm away from Zoro, but that didn't work in the least. _The fucking Marimo is strong... great. Just fucking great._

Sanji grit his teeth, throwing his 'just ignore him' thing out the window. "Let go of me." He ordered. Zoro's expression didn't change. "Did she tell you to do something? Answer me!" Zoro snapped, pulling harder on Sanji's arm and making him wince.

He would've had more patience, he was sure, but at that moment, Sanji couldn't help but to lash out. He used his left leg to catch Zoro in the hip with his knee and Zoro reacted appropriately, losing his grip on Sanji's arm and stumbling back with an exclamation of surprise. The cook really wanted to follow up with a harder kick, to the neck perhaps, but he knew if he started getting really violent, shit would get messy.

Sanji had to fight really hard just to walk away, and even then it was more like stomping. Zoro caught up quickly, though. "Can you even hear me?! You have to say something!" Zoro shouted angrily.

"How about 'fuck off'?" Sanji sneered, flipping Zoro off over his shoulder.

"Thank God." Zoro sighed and Sanji actually turned to look at him. He looked relieved. Nobody looks relieved when you tell them to fuck off. Sanji had not even the slightest doubt in his mind that Zoro was insane, but seriously? He was a fucking joke.

"You have got to be shittin' me." Sanji groaned, closing his eyes and pinching his nose bridge in attempt to regain composure, but he couldn't say it was working. He tried to get as far away as possible before he had to kill that freaking plant, but, damn, he was persistent.

"Listen to me. You can't talk to Robin. Don't go near her, don't phone her, don't associate with that woman at all." Zoro spoke quickly and sternly and Sanji rolled his eyes. "You're insane! Robin-chan is a lady. She wouldn't and couldn't do anything to hurt me. She's not dangerou-"

Zoro arrested a fistful of the front of Sanji's shirt and pulled him close enough that he wouldn't be able to do much damage with his legs. "You need to really listen to me, shit-cook, because this is your safety we're talking about." Zoro whispered fiercely, leaning close enough to be heard, even though he was being the quietest Sanji had ever heard him. "Your friends, too. Keep them away from Robin, because she may not look it, but that woman is planning something that will get you all killed."

He didn't blink, he didn't stop for breath, and he just told Sanji all of that completely seriously, even verging on mean with how severe he was being. But, he also looked concerned. Somewhere in those crazy dark eyes, Sanji could see he actually believed what he was saying with everything in him. The cook almost believed him, he was so serious. Sanji was caught between nodding and laughing.

"Wh-"

"Stay away from her." Zoro said, more threateningly than he had before. "Do you understand me?"

-~Switching~-

Zoro couldn't determine exactly why his skin was boiling so hot, but it didn't matter. He just needed to resolve things, to keep all the humans safe, especially the ones he'd grown attached to. He needed Sanji to listen to him.

And, damn, it looked like he would. The blonde was looking at him with wide eyes, disbelief, confusion and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on evident in his eyes. Then, Sanji nodded. "Y... yeah... I don't know how that'll work out for ya." Sanji said, sounding a little shell-shocked still. The cook blinked several times before he spoke again. "You really believe she's dangerous? She's a history teacher, for God's sake."

Zoro growled a bit and Sanji looked at him like he was crazy. "That definitely sounds like her." He hissed. Sanji frowned at that and tried to get away from Zoro, (more likely to get Zoro away from him, as they were quite close). It was then that Zoro realized Sanji had been holding onto his arms for a while.

Without a word, the swordsman relinquished his hold on Sanji's shirt. Immediately, the cook started smoothing out his wrinkled shirt. He grumbled about mistreating a perfectly good shirt as he adjusted his collar. When he finished with his fussing, Sanji began rubbing his right hand with his left hand gently.

The bad, angry, violent feelings he may have had a moment ago got crushed by guilt. Impulsive behavior always made him feel guilty. "I, uh... About your hand... I-"

"You already apologized. I'd kind of like to know how this fucking happened, but if you bring it up again, you're just gonna make me angrier." Sanji sounded exasperated and looked at him with a warning in his eyes. Zoro nodded. "Ah." was all he could say.

Sanji sort of glared at Zoro a moment longer before he turned and walked away. When he was out of sight, Zoro finally regained his sense and looked around. Robin's street was a secluded suburb, so probably no one had seen their little exchange a minute ago. He didn't want a run in with the human police.

Zoro tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling oddly calm, and started down the street. He figured he'd get back to his rounds, checking the island for insecurities. It seemed okay to do that since he'd just made sure Sanji was safe.

**Ta-da! That's my contribution for the day. It was nice, wasn't it? I think it was. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review!**

**P.S. I have some important stuff on my profile, (namely a preview for a new story), that you ought to check out!**


	17. Ein Teil von dir

**A much anticipated chapter has arrived! ... Oh, you weren't anticipating this? ... I see... Well, I was anticipating it! So, there!**

First day of school. Fucking _yay_.

Sanji had never hated school, he actually did well in most all his classes. It was just a hassle to deal with all the bastards that had missed out on messing with him and his friends all summer long and were itching to start a fight. One would think that it would be different after once or twice establishing oneself as stronger than everyone else. There, one would be wrong.

During the last day of summer, where most kids would probably go out and swim all day, go shopping for new clothes or spend the whole day goofing off with their friends, Sanji and his friends would board the Going Merry and make bets on who they thought was going to attack them on the first day of school and how badly they would kick all the other kids' asses. That had been their tradition since middle school and with every back-to-school after a significant break.

This year, Sanji had bet on a bunch of seniors he'd heard about before break. They were supposed to be ruthless bastards, in a gang or some such. Rumor had it they had members in other schools, other islands, too. Even grown-ups on the school board were said to be associated with them, not that that was uncommon. Their island was full of some messed-up shit.

On his way to school, walking of course, Sanji stopped by Luffy's house. Luffy would be late, he knew, if he didn't come by and pick him up. And, since Nami and Ussop lived on the outskirts of the town, Luffy was the first and only one on Sanji's list that he had to pick up, although he would gladly walk Nami to school. Only, that would require waking up and leaving before the restaurant opened.

"Oi, Luuuffy!" Sanji called, his hands cupped around his mouth. A thud came from the two-story square house and several windows on the second level shook visibly.

"_Cooooooooooming~!_" Luffy shouted, tired but still loud. Sanji shifted his weight onto his left foot as he stood there, hands in his pockets. A second later, Luffy burst out the front door, pulling on his red vest with one hand and holding his backpack in the other. He grinned at Sanji around a slice of toast and some bacon held between his teeth. "Goo' mor'een'!" He tossed his bag over his shoulder and fell into stride beside Sanji as he began to wander down the sidewalk.

Sanji grumbled about Luffy's manners and the straw-hat just laughed. "Who cares about that? Are you excited to kick some ass today?!" Luffy asked enthusiastically, then shoving the piece of toast and bacon back into his mouth all at once.

Sanji rolled his eyes up to the sky, grinning despite himself. "I don't think it'll ever get old," he sighed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

Luffy threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah! This is my favorite part of school! I wish we could fight all the time instead of having stupid Math and History and everything... But, lunch is good!" he exclaimed, seriously.

The cook laughed, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "You are such an idiot," Sanji said, shaking his head and patting down on the top of Luffy's hat. The two joked and discussed who they thought they were going to end up fighting (though Luffy mostly just said he would beat whoever it was with one of his punches) the rest of the way to school.

As they got close enough to see the school gates, a familiar anticipation coursed through their veins. Shakey limbs and goofy grins took over their outward composure. "I hope Nami and Ussop aren't early," Sanji mused aloud, picturing the two of them cornered by the countless delinquents of the student body.

Luffy laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We should hurry so nobody starts fighting without us!"

"They wouldn't start without us. We're the life of the party, remember?" Sanji joked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they entered onto school ground. The eight-foot-wide paved path up to the school's main entrance was crowded and noisy. Friends who hadn't seen each other congregated in noisy reunions at various points along the walkway. Others chattered loudly for no reason other than to completely drown out the universe.

The grass on either side of the pavement was unnaturally green and freshly cut, the trees and flowers trimmed and groomed to match. The school itself was a solid, pale stone building with four glass doors propped open, beckoning students inside. There were numerous windows on the front of the building alone, most all of them open to the August air and giving glimpses of classrooms. From the outside: a perfectly lovely establishment. From the inside, as most all the students and teachers would tell you: Hell.

Across the yard, juniors and seniors alike were already sending challenging smirks towards Sanji and Luffy as they made their way up to the school. Sanji turned his chin up at them and grinned. They had no idea how many different kinds of shit they were getting themselves into.

"Ne, Sanji, they're smiling at us! Do you think they want to be friends?" Luffy asked optimistically, waving to a couple of very rough-looking thug-types who were talking amongst themselves and smirking maliciously at him. Sanji just snorted in response.

"Luffy! Sanji!"

Before they could turn around, Sanji and Luffy were grappled around the shoulders from behind. Ussop stuck his head in between their heads, grinning. "Hey! So, what's the deal? Who are you, my awesome crew, going to beat the crap out of today?" he asked, looking at Sanji to his left, then Luffy to his right.

"Wait up, you guys!" Nami ran up beside Luffy and waved at the three boys. "You better not start any fights today. It's the first day after summer break and you need to start it right, or else the whole rest of the school year will be horrendous," she lectured, giving Luffy a pointed look.

Luffy laughed, patting Nami on the back roughly. "Don't worry about it, Nami! I'll just kick their asses and then we'll have lunch!"

The redhead moved away from Luffy and around to Sanji. "You better keep him out of trouble, damn it," she whispered, looking at Sanji out of the corner of her eye. "Because, if he causes another problem like last year, I'll kill you both and make it look like an accident."

Sanji grimaced at the reminder. Last year had been quite a fiasco. Luffy had picked a fight with Buggy, the clown with an attitude. He had won, of course, after incurring trouble from Buggy's "crew," and soon thereafter, Buggy transferred away. That had only been the tip of Luffy's reputation iceberg, launching him right to the top of "Freshmen to Watch Out For." Of which there was a list. A short one.

"Alright. I'll do my best, Nami-swan," Sanji said with a wink. Nami just rolled her eyes at him as their group entered the school building.

The short, cramped front hall echoed loudly with the voices of hundreds of teenagers, filing in unceremoniously. Sanji had to keep ushering people along when they nearly bumped into Nami or if they tried to shove into Ussop and Luffy, trying to start a fight. And that was more times than he could count.

Once they got to their lockers to put away the things they'd gotten for school that were not immediately necessary, Sanji could finally relax a little bit. It seemed like the biggest troublemakers were minding their own business. _Huh. I guess I'm losing money this year._

Without warning, he was hit hard from behind and stumbled into the lockers. He whipped around to see who'd hit him, prepared to kick their ass, but he stopped short. Standing behind him was a skinny, dark-haired boy who looked like he hadn't slept in years. "I-I-I-I'm s-sorry! That guy- er, it was an accident! I swear!" the dark-haired kid explained, wide-eyed and panicky, as he frantically waved his hands in surrender.

Sanji turned his glare up to the older boys that the nervous kid kept looking at and they glared right back at him. "It's fine," Sanji said, pulling his eyes back to the dark-haired boy in front of him. "As long as it was an accident, I don't mind."

The scrawny kid sighed, relieved. "Thanks! I apologize for my friends... They're idiots," he told Sanji, looking over his shoulder as he said the last part.

"I can relate," Sanji said sympathetically, glancing over at Luffy and Ussop, who were snorting about something a few lockers away.

The dark-haired kid laughed, sticking out his hand. "The name's Gin."

Sanji looked down at the hand, then back up at Gin's face. "Sanji," he said, shaking Gin's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Gin nodded. "Likewise," he said, turning back to look at his friends. They didn't look very thrilled as they waved him over. "Ah... Looks like I've gotta go. See ya," Gin said with a wave, a moment before he weaved his way through the crowd and disappeared down the hall with his friends. Sanji shook his head, finding their encounter very peculiar. Never mind that Gin came across as a strange egg.

"Ne, Sanji-kun, we're going to be late!" Nami called over the slowly dwindling crowd, waving her arms over her head to get his attention. Sanji nodded and caught up to her and the other two.

"Who were you talking to back there?" Luffy asked, walking backwards so Sanji could receive the full effect of his curious look.

Sanji shrugged. "Just a guy. His name's Gin. I think I've seen him around, but I don't know where," the cook explained, frowning at nothing in particular as he tried to put his finger on where he'd seen or heard of Gin before.

oOo

Despite their predictions, the first day of school went on without a hitch. Sanji was shocked at how little trouble any of his friends got into. Not that he was complaining. He really wasn't. It just seemed too... calm. Too normal. Those were two words he would never use to describe his life.

Even lunch was peaceful, although it was usually considered the time alotted in the middle of a school day to cause as much trouble as possible. He wasn't typically a suspicious person, but Sanji had a feeling something was going on. Good or bad, he couldn't decide. But, he was leaning towards bad.

"Hey, Sanji!"

A voice that he barely recognized caused him to stop in his tracks, just a few feet away from the bottom of the stairs. Sanji looked around and, spotting Gin walking over to him, smiled. "What's up?" Sanji greeted.

Gin didn't answer as he walked with a purposeful step towards Sanji. He looked unsettled, which put Sanji on edge. The look on Gin's face wasn't a friendly one. It was more like a determined one, mixed with some anger. That confused the blond. "Something going on? You look like murder personified," Sanji commented.

"Shut up."

Sanji's eyebrows shot up at the tone. "Whoa, calm down," he said, putting up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Geez, what crawled up your ass?"

"Just shut up!" Gin snapped, reaching into his grey jacket. As he got closer, Sanji could see that Gin was sweating and, August though it may be, it was still strange. The look of strain on the darker boy's face helped further his suspicions.

"Listen, Gin, you're acting kind of strange. Did something happen?" Sanji questioned, putting his hands down and giving Gin time to respond. By that time, several groups of students had clustered together at various places in the schoolyard, watching the exchange and putting out excited vibes. They were expecting a fight, Sanji realized.

Gin rubbed angrily at his face with the hand that wasn't in his jacket as he hurtled down the stairs a few feet away from Sanji. He made to turn around, but seemed to think twice about it and sort of turned in circles for a second. He let out an agitated growl and pulled his hand out of his jacket, holding an object Sanji couldn't quite see clearly.

He looked like a crazy person, Sanji thought. He kept starting to say something and then stopping himself for a minute before he finally stood stock-still and levelled his dark, tired eyes at Sanji. All at once he seemed to focus and held up the object he'd taken from his jacket. It was set of heavy-looking metal tonfa, each with a metal orb on the end that Sanji was surprised he hadn't seen.

Without saying anything, Gin launched himself forward, armed with a tonfa in each hand. He spun the tonfa with brutal strength and hooked his left arm sharply in an attempt to hit Sanji, but the blond quickly dodged.

"What the hell?" Sanji shouted, ducking under another strike and sweeping Gin's legs. Gin landed on his back with the sickening sound of bone hitting concrete. Jumping back up like it was nothing, he swung his tonfa at Sanji's head with startling speed. The cook barely managed to block the attack with his leg before Gin was winding up again. "What's your problem? I didn't do anything to you!" Sanji shouted, kicking Gin in the ribs.

"Shit," Gin wheezed, stumbling to the side. Sanji didn't give him any time to recover as he spun around and drove his heel into Gin's back. The gathered crowd rippled with conversation, by-standers sharing looks of excitement and astonishment. Sanji didn't care. He had better things to do than listen to them.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on now, or do I have to guess?" Sanji asked, stepping aside as Gin charged at him unsteadily. "Because anything I could think of at this point is pretty fucking bad."

"Just shut up already!" Gin screamed, feinting with his left before slamming the tonfa in his right hand into the side of Sanji's head. The cook hit the ground with a pained grunt, landing half in the grass. His ears rang so loud that he was certain the people around him could hear it too. He could taste blood in his mouth, though he wasn't sure where it was coming from.

Sanji's vision was still spinning when Gin came down on him with both tonfa at once. He rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding having his skull crushed in. He struggled to his feet, despite seeing triple of his enemy.

"Sanji!"

Hearing his name so clearly through his haze had Sanji turning to look through the crowd. Luffy, Nami and Ussop pushed their way through the masses and watched in pride, fear and amazement respectively.

"Sanji-kun, watch out!" Nami shrieked, her eyes widening at something behind him. Sanji bent backwards just as a ball-tipped tonfa swished over his chest, barely grazing his tie as it sliced through the air where his head would have been. He met Gin's eyes for a moment, trying to convey his annoyance, but Gin just looked at him apologetically. _Wait, what?_

"Who put you up to this?" Sanji asked in a moment of brilliance as he straightened up, swivelling to look at Gin. The dark-haired boy looked surprised for a second before shaking his head and taking another swing. Sanji dodged and dropped into a handstand, kicking off the ground with one foot to put more power behind his attack. His foot slammed into the back of Gin's head and he felt the blow reverberate up through his body.

Gin hit the ground face first, his grip on the tonfa slipping. His weapons rolled away as he lay still for a deafening second. Their audience was silent, including Sanji's friends. The wind whistled past the cook's hair as he stood up straight, looking down on his opponent. Gin groaned and clutched at the back of his head and everyone that was watching sighed.

"Thank God, I thought you killed him!" Nami gasped, hands over her chest as if to keep something in.

"Sanjiiii~ you should've told us you were going to fight earlier!" Luffy remarked, somewhat pouty, but still looking proudly at his nakama.*

The blond shrugged, nudging the tonfa further out of Gin's reach with his toe. "I wasn't aware that I was going to fight today. I thought today was going pretty well," Sanji said, slight irritation audible in his voice. "Thought I even met a good guy, somebody who wasn't gonna try to attack me or my friends."

Gin looked up at him and his face twisted into an expression of fear. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly. "It was Boss' idea, not mine! But, I couldn't really..."

Sanji let his face go blank and stared without compassion at Gin. "Who's your boss?" Sanji asked, lifting his chin a little higher in an intimidating way. Gin swallowed hard, but didn't say anything. Sanji scoffed. "I'll find out. And, when I do, you'd better be hiding, or I'll finish what I started," Sanji threatened, turning and walking towards his friends.

Nami looked horrified and Ussop seemed to be catching some of her fear, whereas Luffy grinned in pure joy. "Do I get to help? You said he's got a boss, right? I could kick his ass. Please?" Luffy spoke quickly, getting up in Sanji's face.

The cook laughed. "Yeah, okay. You can beat the boss, and I'll take care of the underlings. Fair?"

"Yeah! Aw, but I wish I got to fight today..." Luffy went from grinning to pouting in the blink of an eye.

"Are you kidding me?" Nami squeaked, her voice even higher than normal. "Don't you know who that is? That's Gin the Man-Demon! That's what people call him! You know who he works for, don't you?"

"_That's_ Gin the Man-Demon? Shit!" Ussop whispered hoarsely as he ducked behind Luffy. "He's killed people!"

Luffy and Sanji shared a look and simultaneously began to laugh. "It doesn't matter if he's killed a thousand people! Sanji'll still kick his ass, and I'll still kick his boss' ass!" Luffy assured him, clapping his hand on Ussop's back and pushing him towards the school gates.

Nami clung to Sanji's arm as the four of them left the gawking crowd behind. "Sanji-kun, you have heard of Don Krieg, haven't you? That's who Gin works for. That man is dangerous," Nami whispered seriously, casting a glance over her shoulder at Gin, who had barely sat up.

Sanji nodded. "Yes. I've heard of him," he said thoughtfully. "But, it doesn't matter. He picked a fight with me, so that's what he's gonna get."

"But, that's stupid! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Nami shouted suddenly, causing Luffy and Ussop to look back at her.

Luffy tilted his head to the side, an oddly serious expression on his face. "Don't you believe in us, Nami?"

The redhead sighed heavily. "Of course I do, really, but this isn't good. You two are going to get hurt, badly, and then what? You won't have this stubborn pride anymore, that's for damn sure!" Nami hissed and Sanji just shook his head. She caught the motion and glared up at him. "If you two die, I'm gonna kill you!"

"B-b-b-but, wh-what if K-K-K-Krieg comes ah-after us?" Ussop stuttered, referring to himself and Nami.

"Obviously, we'll protect you!" Luffy said, giving Sanji a thumbs-up. "If anyone tries to hurt you, any one of my nakama, I'll save you if it's the last thing I do!"

Nami sighed again, seeing Luffy wasn't going to give even an inch on the matter. "You better..." she mumbled, resigned.

oOo

Zoro kept staring, long after the humans were out of sight. He couldn't believe his eyes. He'd seen human martial arts before, yes, but he'd never seen anything that powerful. Sanji's blows had had the other guy flailing like a ragdoll, and he'd been calm and composed while doing it. Sanji wasn't an ordinary human, Zoro decided. And, the fact that the other humans in his group seemed to take it in stride menat that they weren't ordinary, either.

He was inches away from figuring it out, he knew. Inches away from knowing why Robin picked them, why she picked him, too. The swordsman dropped down from his place in a tree near the schoolyard and closed his eyes. What could he do? What was he _supposed_ to do with that kind of knowledge? So, Sanji's a decent fighter, so what? That didn't really mean anything. It made him damn curious, but that was all.

At that moment, Zoro remembered the stripe of blood he'd seen, dripping down the hidden side of the cook's face as he walked away. It didn't even seem like Sanji knew he was bleeding. But, the blow to the head he took would make anyone bleed, even a demon. He didn't know what to do about that.

Zoro wanted to "take care" of the human that picked a fight with Sanji, but he also wanted to confront Robin. His confrontations with that woman hadn't gone very well the last few times, though. He dreaded the thought of trying again. But, he had other things he could do. He could try and figure out why the humans were different, stronger than other humans.

But, the only one he'd seen do anything significant was Sanji. Zoro groaned at the thought of talking to him again. It didn't seem like a good idea. Then again, how else was he supposed to figure out what was going on with the humans? He couldn't keep following them around; he had island duties to take care of. Zoro had never been one to avoid being direct, but it would be weird to just walk up to Sanji and ask, "Hey, why are you so strong for a human? And, why are you the target of a demon-lady?"

No, he had to come up with a plan first.

*** Nakama - Comrade, acquaintance. Something like that. xD**

**What did you think? Haha, I just read a book. Why is that important? Because it helped me write. You should thank cheesy Vampire novels. ;D**


	18. Ich teile deinen Schmerz

**I know it's taken me a while to get an update out on this one, but I hope to write faster in the near future. That's all I really have to say, so... off you go. Read. I'll be here.**

Sanji dropped his house and restaurant keys on the nightstand beside his bed and shrugged out of his jacket. He tossed the garment on his bed and loosened his tie as he walked into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and his shoulders dropped.

"Well, damn." Sanji pulled his hair back from his face and shook his head slightly. There was a small cut right on his hair line, bleeding an inch-wide stripe of blood that trickled down to his chin and dripped onto the sink. "Why didn't anyone tell me I was bleeding?" Sanji wondered aloud as he went in search of a rag.

The cook sprung for a washcloth that was red to begin with so the old fart wouldn't jump his ass about bleeding on stuff. He took the rag back to his bathroom and wet half of it before wiping up the blood trail on his face and under his chin. Sanji tentatively dabbed at the cut on his head with the wet rag and was relieved to see it wasn't as bad as it was trying to be. It would heal in no time. Sanji tucked his hair behind his ear and looked at the cut a moment longer before returning to his room.

He didn't want to think about it, but his mind was magnetized to his unpleasant encounter with Gin earlier that afternoon. He had laid down his cards for all to see in the middle of the school yard, daring any and all associated with Gin and his boss to come after him. Not that he was banking on anyone getting protective over their "nakama" in that crew and wanting revenge. Probably the only reason anyone in Gin's crew would fight him would be to try and prove they were stronger than Sanji's previous opponents by besting him. Then again, that's what any punk wanted to do lately.

Sanji sighed, walking around his bed to the window. He turned the latch back and opened the window inwards, letting in a crisp breeze. It was already starting to cool off, he noticed. That would only be a good thing for a couple of weeks, Sanji knew, but it was a welcome change after the stifling summer.

The cook looked around at what little of the city he could see through his window. The decrepit old jewelry store next door had always blocked any significant view he might have had, since it was only a tiny bit shorter than the Baratie from the outside. He could almost see onto the roof, but most of what he could see was just grimy brick and cracked concrete. Besides that, he could see the back of the building behind the Baratie, a couple of buildings across the street out front and a wide stripe of orangey sky right across the top of his view.

Sanji placed his palms flat on the window sill and leaned out the window, admiring the wispy clouds with an almost philosophical expression. School and work drained from his mind, leaving him in semi-peace as he stood by the window a minute longer, eyes on the sky. He would have to get to work soon, he reminded himself, but watching the sunset seemed like an important task to be accomplished just then.

"Ah, the fading days of summer..." Sanji sighed again, over-dramatizing in his moment of peace. His hair fell back over his eye and he looked at it for a second before ducking his head and retreating back into his room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sanji saw something glint in the orangey sunlight outside his window. He was already a few steps towards going downstairs to work, but he had to go back to the window. Squinting against the sun, he could see the multicolored glare of light off something on top of the jewelry store next door. "What the hell?" Sanji frowned at the object, but it didn't come into focus. If he moved to either side, the colorful glint would disappear, leaving only a shadowy object to hold its place. That certainly hadn't been there the last time he looked out his window, had it?

The cook turned and went downstairs, power walking out the back door of the restaurant that was used for taking out the trash or receiving deliveries of fresh ingredients. He'd gotten a few strange looks on the way out that made him wonder if visiting the roof of the neighboring building was really something that had to be done, but he was too curious to just leave it be.

The heels of his shoes clicked against the pavement as he marched up to the fire escape on the back of the jewelry store. He knew it was still daylight out, and he could technically go inside and tell the owner of the building about the mystery object on their roof, but he wanted to check it out for himself.

Sanji hesitated a moment at the rusty bars of the ladder, looking at his slightly dirty hands before deciding to just suck it up and climb up the shaky fire escape. Several screws fell out as he climbed up to the top of the two-story building and Sanji was mentally pleading with the structure to hold under his weight for just another minute.

Metal creaked and scraped against brick as Sanji hoisted himself up onto the roof. He heaved a sigh of relief and placed his hand over his heart to make sure it was still there. Heights weren't exactly his thing.

Once he'd recovered from the panic of climbing a rickety ladder, Sanji turned and looked over the surprisingly vast roof. There were various ventilation tubes scattered across the roof, along with a chimney that Sanji assumed only went down as far as the upstairs apartment. But, behind that chimney, he could see a cloth.

Sanji walked briskly over to what looked to be a futon placed up against the lip of the roof right in line with his window. Beside the futon were several bottles, empty or otherwise, that boasted in white letters that they were a little-known brand of sake.

"What the fuck?" Sanji knelt beside a cluster of sake bottles and picked one up. He was growing more and more disturbed by what might have been going on across the way from his window. He leaned down experimentally, ducking so that he could only barely see above the two-foot tall edge of the roof. He could see straight into his room from there. Sanji was not an easy person to freak out, but whomever had set all that up on the roof was seriously freaking him out.

On the edge of the roof was a single blue-tinted glass bottle, half-full of liquid that Sanji didn't dare try to determine. That bottle was what had caught his eye, he noticed, touching it with as little skin as possible to pick it up. Sanji became more and more paranoid as he examined the outside of the bottle for who-the-hell-knows-what. Carefully setting it back down next to the other bottles, Sanji turned back to the blue patterned futon.

Despite the bottles looking relatively clean, the futon looked like it had been up there since the last rain storm. It was covered in dirt and grass and a handful of cicada shells, there wasn't a blanket or pillow in sight and the thin mattress itself looked to be old as shit. Sanji really couldn't describe in words how or why the thing looked old, it just did. That was very odd.

Sanji tried to remember when last it had rained, since the futon was flattened to the jewelry store's roof like it had been molded to the roof by rain. The last storm he could remember was weeks ago. A shiver ran up his spine. What creep had been camping out on the roof, possibly looking into his window, for weeks? _Oh, God, why have I neglected my curtains?_

"No, no, keep a level head, now," Sanji told himself, beginning to pace. Maybe the owner of the jewelry store was stargazing? No, that man's older than dust, Sanji remembered. Besides, there didn't seem to be any way onto or off of the roof aside from the fire escape Sanji had climbed. What would some old man be doing shuffling up a ladder like that with a futon under one arm and a bottle of sake under the other?

Sanji tried to think rationally, to figure out something anyone might have been doing on the roof of some old jewelry store. It could've been a homeless person, but then again, a homeless person wouldn't have money enough for as much booze as appeared to have been consumed on that roof. Unless they'd just collected the old bottles. The only one Sanji had seen with anything actually in it was the unlabeled blue glass bottle, so there was no telling.

Looking around the roof once more, Sanji was starting to relax a little. He'd never heard of a homeless person living on a roof, in full view of the elements, but if that was all that was going on, he didn't suppose he could tell that person to leave.

The cook knelt again and rolled up the futon, tucking it under his arm and taking a deep breath as he approached the ladder. He climbed down as quickly as he could without breaking anything and hurried back to the restaurant, futon under his arm.

A few of the chefs and waiters gave him stranger looks than when he had left, but he just shook his head. Didn't matter what they thought. Sanji went straight up the stairs and into his and Zeff's living space. From there he went to the laundry room and shoved the futon in the washing machine, put in some detergent and bleach and started it on the longest cycle at his disposal. It smelled like a dog.

After thoroughly washing his hands, Sanji started moving about the kitchen collecting ingredients for a meal that he was going to make for the roof-occupant. He really had no way of telling who it was, but he'd decided it must be a homeless person. In that case, someone who was not eating properly. Whoever it was, anyway, didn't seem like they really meant any harm.

Sanji went about making onigiri* filled with umeboshi.* He figured the snack would be appreciated by whomever was visiting the roof. The cook hoped that his gestures would not be misconstrued as an invitation to stay on the roof longer, though. It would become awkward to have someone constantly on the roof outside your window, possibly watching you while you do their laundry and cook them things.

For a moment, he paused._ No, it couldn't be enterpreted that way. Whoever's living up there wouldn't know it was me that did this, anyway,_ Sanji thought, placing the finished onigiri in a plastic container. He snapped the lid on the container and left it on the counter to check on the futon in the wash. It wasn't finished, so he went down into the restaurant to help out and kill some time.

"Oi, eggplant! Where have you been? You're late!" Zeff scolded the moment he got into the kitchen.

Sanji scoffed. "Shut up, old man. I've been busy."

"With what, getting into fights? You're a hundred years too early to be that reckless!" Zeff shouted at him as they worked at their individual stations.

"How the hell do you even know about that, you nosy old fart?" Sanji asked with less heat than he intended. When he didn't hear a reply, Sanji turned around to see Zeff staring at him boredly. Sanji looked down at himself then, noticing that his clothes were dirty in places and there was a drip of blood on one of his jacket buttons.

"Not the brightest little eggplant, are ya?"

"Shut up!"

oOo

It was nearly dark outside when the futon was finally washed and dried. Sanji surveyed the worn-looking pattern, bright blue with light blue swirls, and wondered if he shouldn't just replace the damn thing. It looked like hell, it still smelled faintly of animal, and the fabric was worn through in places. _Yeah, I ought to check and see if I have a better one somewhere around here._

Sanji took the old futon with him to the hall closet where he knew bedding was kept. He and Zeff both slept in beds with frames and they rarely had guests, so he didn't really know if they would have any futons. But, Luffy and Ussop had slept over a few times, so they were bound to have something. And, just about anything was better than the shitty old futon.

"Ah! Here we go!" Sanji pulled a red futon with white skull and crossbones pattern out of the bottom of the closet and flapped it out to it's full size. It was one that Luffy had brought to his house once upon a sleep over and had never come back to get. He'd brought it over and said that he would leave it there for when they slept over at Sanji's house again, claiming that Sanji had the coolest house ever because it was on top of a restaurant.

It was not as long as the other one, but it would do.

Sanji rolled up the red futon and held it under one arm as he went to the kitchen and grabbed the container of onigiri. He took a quick breath and gave himself a mental pep talk, before hurrying down to and through the kitchen for the third time that day, receiving equally curious looks as the first time. He refused to acknowledge them that time and just hurried out to the jewelry store.

He had to stop at the bottom of the ladder to figure out how he'd climb up with both his hands full, but after a minute he just threw the rolled-up futon as hard as he could up and over the roof's edge. That would make it easier, he decided.

The cook held the box of onigiri tightly in his left hand and climbed up the ladder as quickly as possible, trying his absolute hardest not to look down. When he reached the edge of the roof, he vaulted over so fast he lost his balance for a second and nearly tripped over the red skull and crossbones futon. Recovering with a flourish, Sanji righted himself, picked up the unrolled futon, and marched over to the spot he'd taken the old futon from. There was an odd rectangle light spot on the roof and Sanji used that as a guideline to spread out the fresh futon.

Sanji put the onigiri down on the edge of the roof so that he'd be able to see it from his window, to know when the person on the roof had returned and eaten. Taking a few steps back to survey his handiwork, Sanji nodded and departed the roof.

oOo

In the end, he'd had no luck coming up with a plan. He'd just walked around the island with an empty mind full of an echoing curiosity. Somehow, planning shit out didn't really work for him. He was always a man of action, a "do first, think later" kind of guy. He could think of no tactful way of figuring out why Sanji and his group of friends stood out to Robin, or why Sanji in particular was so strong. Only one option was standing out in his mind.

He had to talk to Robin. He had to directly ask the witch-woman herself why she was interested in those specific humans. Face-to-face. That would have to wait until tomorrow, Zoro decided.

Tired and possessed by something he couldn't name, Zoro journeyed to the jewelry store next door to the Baratie. He knew something was different before he got there. He could smell it in the air. But, he still couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it.

Where his old futon had been, there was a red one with tiny white skulls and crossbones all over it, smelling like artificial flowers and something familiar. In addition to that, a rectangular plastic container about the size of a shoebox sat on the edge of the roof, and from the smell of it, it contained onigiri.

Zoro went over to the container and picked it up. The outside of the container had a scent, too, that wafted to him over the smell of pickled plums. It smelled like the cook. It smelled like Sanji.

Curiously, Zoro sat down on his new futon and opened the box of onigiri. He couldn't smell any poison, and the futon was rather comfy. _So, what the hell? Why would Sanji... Wait a second, he doesn't know it's me up here,_ Zoro thought. He couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that Sanji knew there was someone on the roof, even if he didn't know it was Zoro.

The demon stood and paced the roof, deliberately walking away from the light cast out of the cook's room. He couldn't explain it for the life of him, but Zoro felt like he had to do something to repay him. It wasn't like Sanji had directly shown him kindness, but it meant a lot to Zoro. He hadn't met very many humans who would be kind to any random stranger, let alone a random stranger that was camping on the roof outside their window. Didn't he know he was being watched?

Oh, damn, that was another matter entirely. If Sanji ever found out he was being watched, not to mention the "by Zoro" part, he'd have a cataclysmic meltdown. Zoro could almost feel it just thinking about it. He could imagine Sanji would be more pissed than when he first found out Zoro was the one who hurt his hand. It seemed Zoro was pissing him off quite a lot. Not to say that Sanji didn't do a fair amount of annoying, but Zoro felt as if Sanji was always upset with him, whereas the opposite was not true.

Shit. Now, he really needed to repay Sanji.

Zoro paced the roof even faster than before, the tips of his boots out in open air before he spun on his heels and started the other way. He could give the futon back to Sanji, of course, but he didn't think that would be accepted as a "thank you." Most people would see that as a refusal of kindness. Zoro didn't want to piss him off more.

He could leave a note, although that seemed a little tacky. And, what would he say? "Hello, this is your creepy neighborhood roof-dweller, thanks for the food and the bed, signed, Hobo?" That wouldn't work. Why couldn't Zoro be better with his words?

"Ugh!" The swordsman rubbed at his face with both hands, trying to think. He didn't know what to do about it, but he definitely had to do something. He couldn't just talk down the idea of paying Sanji back for his good gesture, he had to actually do something good for the cook in return. He could try not to tick him off, he supposed. That might help a little. But, he didn't know when next he would encounter the cook in person.

At that moment, the thin blue curtains parted and the light cast upon the roof by Sanji's window grew brighter. Zoro ducked quickly and crept towards the edge of the roof to see what Sanji could possibly be doing at his window at such a late hour. Didn't humans need a lot more sleep than demons?

The blond rested his elbows on the window sill and put his chin in his hands, looking out at the city's nightlife. A serene smile tugged at his lips as a breeze ghosted through his hair. Zoro caught a glimpse of a small cut on Sanji's hairline and frowned. He looked damn peaceful for someone who got hit in the head by a big-ass tonfa not four hours ago. Yet again, Zoro was undecided as to whether that was good or bad.

Blue eyes shadowed by the light behind them turned towards Zoro and the demon hit the deck faster than he ever hit the deck before. Was he found out? He couldn't tell. He couldn't hear, see, or sense the cook's reaction, if there was one at all. Zoro breathed a silent sigh and moved over to a darker side of the roof so he could peer over the edge and see Sanji. Waiting for him was the most appalling sight.

Sanji had a wide smile on his face as he looked to the roof. Zoro didn't know why he looked so happy, but it was damn annoying. It brought up an ominous feeling somewhere inside Zoro that he could really do without. He really did have to pay Sanji back, didn't he?

Well, fuck.

**Onigiri - Rice balls wrapped in seaweed, usually filled with something savory or salty.**

**Umeboshi - Pickled plum. xD I really have no idea what it tastes like, but it's popular enough, so I'll be borrowing it!**


	19. Doch Ich schenke dir mein Gebet

**This will be a two-part chapter. Just so you know. ^-^ On with the story~**

Zoro left extra early that morning on a quest for answers. It was the best time to seek out answers, he felt, but he had to find the best place to seek out answers. He had been to the crystal lake, the cave on the other side of the island, the meadow beyond his temple even. He needed someplace new and full of fresh energy.

"Zoro..."

The swordsman stopped mid-step._ What was that? Did the wind just... call me_? He looked around, frowning and squinting at nothing in particular.

"Zoro..."

Whipping his head around, Zoro searched the trees for something with every sense at his disposal. No one was there, he was almost certain. He couldn't tell where the call was coming from, which was not something that ever happened to him. It didn't sound like anything, either. It was the voice of an entity, of nature, a shapeless, indistinguishable sound.

"Roronoa Zoro..."

"Who's there?" Zoro called, hands on his swords.

"Keeper of this land... Roronoa Zoro..."

The demon froze. He remembered that voice now. The island's voice. He hadn't heard it since he had first accepted his position as the protector of the island and he had since assumed that the voice would never speak to him again. Stepping forward boldly, Zoro asked, "What is it you need from me?"

"Roronoa Zoro..." The wind blew and he heard the tinkling sounds of his earrings bumping into each other. "Blood... shall be shed... unduly."

"By whom?" Zoro asked, his jaw clenched so tight he could barely speak.

"Human blood... Save them... Save them..."

Zoro closed his eyes, trying to reach the spirit of the island. "Please," he said. "Tell me who will commit this crime so I can stop it. I do not wish for any more humans to die."

"Save them."

The wind stopped abruptly and Zoro was surrounded by eerie silence. Who was he supposed to save? What was going to happen? Who was he supposed to stop? Why, oh freaking why, did the island's spirit have to add to his growing pile of questions?

He didn't have the luxury to sit around and think on it, though. Zoro had to figure out what was going to happen and what he had to do about it. And, God damn it all if in the back of his head he wasn't thinking about his human friends.

oOo

Before he had to go to school that morning, Sanji had visited the jewelry store's roof. He was surprised to find that there was no one up there, but he smiled when he saw the box he'd filled with onigiri was completely empty. He'd taken the container back to the Baratie and started deciding what he would make next for the person on the roof before he even left home.

As he waited outside Luffy's house, Sanji contemplated recipes that were very popular but easy enough to cook. Not that difficulty restrained him; he just didn't know if gourmet meals would be lost on his new neighbor. He didn't want to prepare anything pricey off the Baratie's menu either, since eventually Zeff would murder him for providing expensive food for a strange person living on the roof.

"Oh, Sanji! Morning!" Luffy greeted, shoving something in his pocket as he left his house.

"Morning Luffy. Expect anything big today?"

"Nah. You kicked ass yesterday, Sanji; probably nobody will challenge you! That might mean nobody'll fight me either, though..." Luffy trailed off, tapping a finger to his nose.

Sanji snorted as they started towards the school. "That's never stopped them before. And, don't worry about that. You'll get more than your fair share of asses to kick in no time," he told Luffy.

The captain perked right up. "That's right! I'll just keep an eye out and somebody will pick a fight with me today." Luffy nodded to himself, grinning. "Yep, I'm sure. Today will be a good day for a fight!"

When they got to the school, Nami and Ussop were waiting nervously at the gate. "There you guys are! Thank God, I thought somebody killed you!" Ussop wailed, latching on to Luffy and Sanji and mumbling incoherent praises.

"What's up with you, Ussop?" Luffy asked, laughing as he shook his arm to try and make Ussop let go.

Nami scoffed. "You ain't gonna get an answer from that idiot. I asked him when I got here, but he was stuttering and mumbling." Nami frowned at Ussop, switching her weight over to her right foot and putting her hands on her hips. "From what I gather, he heard something before he left his house that made him upset, but God only knows what that is."

Sanji pulled his arm out of Ussop's grip and the long nose fully attached himself to Luffy's side. "We can't help you if you don't speak clearly, Ussop," Sanji said, messing with the cigarettes in his pocket. He didn't know why, but he was getting a bad feeling. Ussop had some pretty out-there antics at times, but this looked like genuine dread. Something had really messed him up.

"Yeah, Ussop, you gotta tell us so we can fix it. Did somebody threaten you?" Luffy asked.

"Nooo..." Ussop sniffled. "No, it's n-not me. It's you guys. Sanjiiii!" Ussop re-attached himself to Sanji's arm. "This is baaaaad!" he wailed.

"Causing such a scene out in the open..." Sanji grumbled, shaking his head. He didn't make any move to push Ussop away, though. "What is bad, Ussop? What's going on?"

They were partially clogging the sidewalk, but very few people paid them any mind as they passed. "I-I... Ugh, don't any of you watch the news?!" Ussop cried, rubbing at his face with both hands, elbows still hooked around Luffy's and Sanji's arms.

"What happened on the news? This better not be something stupid, Ussop," Nami said, frowning.

Ussop shook his head frantically. "No! No, it's not stupid!" Ussop snapped, taking a step closer to Nami and lowering his voice. "It's about yesterday! Don't any of you watch the news? It's Krieg! His gang put twelve people in the hospital last night!"

"Huh? What does that have to do with us?" Luffy asked, looking disappointedly at Ussop.

Ussop's mouth fell open. "'W-what does that have to do with us?' Sanji beat up his goddamn right-hand man yesterday! It's got everything to do with us!"

"How would he know it was me?" Sanji asked tightly. Given Gin's behavior yesterday afternoon, he would not be surprised if Krieg got all the details first-hand from him. "And, why would that prompt him to send twelve people to the hospital? I thought a messed-up dude like that didn't give a damn about his underlings."

Ussop rolled his eyes, finally letting go of Luffy and Sanji to grab at his own hair. "Whether he cares or not, he's got his reputation to uphold! And, for your information, two of those twelve people went to the hospital in body bags!"

"What?" Nami gasped.

The bell chimed for them to get their asses to class, but none of them made any move towards going. "Ussop," Luffy began, leaning his head to the side to crack his neck. "You think that Krieg guy'll really try something with us?"

"Of course! He's an evil bastard who's killed people of all ages! What the hell does he care about a bunch of high school kids? Oh, no... I'm coming down with the I-can't-go-to-school-on-this-island-anymore disease..." Ussop flailed his arms before he sunk to the ground and started mumbling to himself about his "illness." Luffy and Sanji looked at each other and nodded their silent agreement.

"Nami-san, you two, let's just go to class for now. There's nothing to worry about for now, so, everyone should stay calm," Sanji said smoothly, putting a hand on Nami's shoulder and gently leading her towards the school building. "Luffy, I'll leave that to you."

"Okay," Luffy said, snickering as he picked Ussop up under his arms and set him on his feet easily. "C'mon, Ussop. Nothing's happened yet, so just relax! If anybody comes to try and kill us, I'll just kick their ass!"

"I feel so safe..."

oOo

During their lunch hour, Luffy, Nami, Ussop and Sanji noticed the odd quiet of the people at the tables around theirs. It was unnerving to say the least. Ussop and Nami were freaking out while Sanji and Luffy quietly discussed a plan of action.

"None of us should ever be alone, just to be on the safe side," Sanji said, looking to Nami and Ussop. "Especially Nami-swan. Or you, Ussop."

"Okay, so, what? One of you will stay with us twenty-four-seven? That won't work," Ussop said dismally. Nami rolled her eyes at him, even though she herself was panicking.

"We'll stay in public places when we can't be around Luffy and Sanji-kun. As long as we're around a lot of people, we'll be safe." Nami nodded to herself, tapping nervously on the tabletop with her fingernails.

Luffy nodded in agreement. "That's right. You guys have to be careful until you know for sure I've kicked Krieg's ass," he said, addressing Ussop and Nami. "Don't worry about it. Even if he gets to you guys before I get to him, I know you'll be just fine because you're both strong!"

"Not strong enough to take on a druglord, you idiot!" Nami and Ussop snapped, not even minding their volume.

Sanji shook his head. "He's not a druglord. He's just a bad guy who picks on people for his own personal gain, or for fun, maybe. I don't know. But, I do know you two are stronger than you think."

"It doesn't matter that I'm the great Captain Ussop, who has single-handedly defeated droves of blood-thirsty gang members! I don't want to fight anyone, because I'm just that awesome! Peace! Peace is what we all desire, deep down!"

"Oh, shut up, hippie. You just wanna save your own hide," Nami scolded, knocking Ussop over the head with a fist.

"It's fine if he doesn't wanna get hurt," Luffy said, patting Ussop on the back while he clutched his head. "You guys shouldn't fight them if there's any other way around it."

"Are you just saying that because you want to fight Don Krieg yourself?" Sanji asked, boredly.

Luffy nodded, grinning. "Yep, that's why."

"Then, don't sound all concerned for us when you really just wanna fight the guy yourself!" Nami shouted, smacking Luffy on the back of the head so that he took up the same position as Ussop. "And you!" she shouted, pointing to Sanji. "I'll be counting on you to protect me from now on!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sanji saluted with hearts in his eyes.

oOo

When school let out, Sanji was avoided like the plague. The others were pulled aside and whispered to by various classmates and teachers, each trying to tell them they shouldn't associate with Sanji, because "he's got a hit out on him," or "he's bad luck!"

"This is really bad..." Ussop mumbled hopelessly. "Didn't I tell you guys? We should take the Going Merry and sail away!"

"Shut up," Sanji snapped irritably. He was tired of hearing what everyone had to say about anything that had to do with him, or Krieg. He'd handle the situation on his own if he had to, because it wasn't their damn business. Nobody had the right to be bitching about what Krieg would do when Sanji was the only one in trouble. "I will kick you so hard you'll never speak again if you don't shut up about how much trouble _I'm_ in."

Ussop squeaked in the most dignified manner and apologized hastily.

"Sanji-kun, maybe you should watch out for yourself," Nami suggested, gesturing vaguely to nothing. "I mean, at the start of the day, everything was normal, but by lunch people were scared and now they're terrified. Either that man gets around like nobody's business, or he's got a lot of followers in the school."

Smiling, Sanji said, "Thank you for worrying, Nami-swaan~! I'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, we can handle this!" Luffy chimed in, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "Don't worry about him, Nami. Sanji's really strong, so everything will be fine!"

As they left the school grounds, instead of splitting up, Sanji and Luffy started following Nami and Ussop in the opposite direction of their own homes. "Eh? Are you guys coming over today? Not that I mind, but I don't remember..." Ussop trailed off, thinking hard.

"I wanted to ask Nami-san for another basket of her wonderful oranges for the restaurant," Sanji said simply, shrugging.

"Don't you remember, Ussop? I said I was coming over to swim in your pool one more time before it turns cold!" Luffy said, laughing when Ussop just looked more confused.

Ussop started to speak again, but Nami cut him off. "Just leave it be, Ussop. They're coming with us and that's that."

They all made their way to the outskirts of the town, unusually silent. When they reached Nami's house they parted ways, Luffy staying with Ussop and Sanji staying with Nami. Quietly, the cook followed her down the winding dirt path that served as Nami's driveway. After a few minutes' walk, Nami finally spoke up. "Thank you, Sanji-kun."

"Anything for you," Sanji replied. After a moment, he smiled and added, "But, I do want those oranges as well. They make a wonderful sauce."

Nami threw her head back and laughed. "Of course they do! They're from Bellemere's orchard!" she said, grinning back at Sanji. "I'll give them to you for half off if you make me some citrus cupcakes, and since you're my friend!"

"Sounds like a deal," Sanji said, following Nami around the quaint one-story home to the rows and rows of mikan trees behind it. *

Nami picked up one of the baskets that were stacked one inside the other on the back porch and handed it to Sanji. "You do the heavy lifting, I'll fill the basket," she said over her shoulder as she started walking between two rows of mikan trees and picking off specific fruits. Sanji followed her, praising her ability to pick the best fruit.

Once the medium-sized basket was mostly full, Nami turned to Sanji and demanded her payment. Sanji paid her, smiling magnanimously before bidding her fairwell. Sanji looked down at the basket of oranges in his hands and thought of all the recipes he could make with them. He was glad he thought about asking before he went home, even though it didn't so much disguise his nobler motive.

As Sanji stepped back onto the paved sidewalk, he looked up the road in the direction of Ussop's house. He didn't suppose he had to worry about them. Luffy would probably be forcing Ussop to teach him how to swim until it was too dark for him to go home, and then he'd end up staying the night. That would be the best case scenario, Sanji decided. He would call Ussop's house later and figure out if that was what they were doing.

The blond spared a glance over his shoulder at Nami's house before he started towards his own home. Despite being relatively eventless, he felt that it had been a full day. He was tired from all the hoopla of the day and he just wanted to go to bed, but he still had one more thing to do before he could even go to work. Yawning, Sanji wondered whether or not Zeff would let him off the hook for one night.

oOo

Zoro had followed Luffy and Ussop when the four humans had parted ways, though not entirely by choice. He might have followed Sanji and Nami, but there wasn't much place to hide where they went, so he followed the other two. They'd gone to Ussop's house and he wondered if he oughtn't reveal himself like he had last time they had been in the pool. But, he didn't, even when he wanted to help Luffy learn to swim, though. That was truly a pitiful sight.

After he was sure they were safe, he quickly backtracked to where the other two had gone, only to find that they had split up as well. He could tell the redhead was in her house because he could hear her annoying voice from a mile away as she spoke to someone. Sanji, however, was not there.

The sun was starting to go down, the demon noted internally as he followed the cook's scent. He had to make sure they were all safe before dark. Once it was dark, everyone and everything that could cause harm to the humans would be free and clear to prowl the streets, so he had to do some preparing before then. Just to be sure the blood that was going to be shed was not theirs.

Zoro found that Sanji's scent stopped at his shrine, so he found a good place in the bushes and hid before Sanji noticed him. The blond was standing with his head bowed, not five feet from Zoro's shrine. He didn't appear to be saying anything or doing anything, just standing. Zoro got an odd sense of déjà vu that he was pondering just as Sanji began to speak.

"It's not like I don't believe in them," he began, pulling out one of the awful-smelling things Zoro had learned were cigarettes. "Because, I do. More than anyone I've ever met, I believe in them, and I know they're damn strong." Sanji started to pace, lighting his cigarette. "I don't think there's anyone stronger than that kid, really. Luffy's... insane. But, he can make it through just about anything. I know that. Just... something's got me worried. I know it's stupid to be talking to some shitty old shrine about all this." Zoro growled. "But, I've got a bad feeling."

Pausing to exhale a smoky breath, Sanji looked at the ground. "I don't even know what I'm fucking doing here... I don't know what to do, where to go, because I'm fucking worried. Me! Sanji the badass has no clue what he's going to do about a gut feeling, but, damn it! I feel like something's going to happen! Something's gonna happen, and I'm gonna fuck up, and Luffy and Nami-san and Ussop will be there to absorb the blow!"

Sanji kicked a nearby tree with so much force, it just snapped. The severed part of the tree fell to the ground away from the shrine as Sanji took another drag from his cigarette. "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if they got hurt, any one of them. Whatever shitty spirit lives here, you better protect them, or I'm coming for you."

*** Mikan - Tangerine, as it's often translated. Just oranges. Nothing peculiar. Yep.**

**Next chapter I will finally, FINALLY, after 19 chapters, be able to fit in the scene that started it all. The first ever snippet from then-unnamed "Your Heart." Probably the only detail that might relate to the music videos at all... xD**


	20. Verziehen ist einfach

**Hi guys! It feels like an eternity since I last updated this story, although it hasn't really been all that long... Anyway, it seems like things will be coming to a head soon! And, don't worry, that doesn't mean the end. It just means some of this useless shit I've been writing will make more sense soon. ;)**

**Enjoy!**

Unable to stand around and listen to another insult, Zoro stepped out of his hiding place. "Oi! What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped, causing the cook to jump if only a bit.

Sanji turned around, his visible eye wide. "Huh? What're you shouting about? It's not like you own this place," Sanji said, extinguishing his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe. "Besides, I'm just using this damn place to its fullest potential."

"Yeah, I heard. That was one damn twisted prayer," Zoro said, crossing his arms over his chest and widening his stance.

Sanji shrugged nonchalantly, but Zoro could see his jaw muscles pulled tight. "I don't usually pray. 'Specially not to shitty little shacks like this," Sanji explained, gesturing with his elbow to Zoro's shrine. "Oh. I just thought of something. Your name's Roronoa Zoro, right?"

"So what?" Zoro asked, mercifully ignoring the comment on his shrine.

Shrugging again, Sanji turned away from Zoro to face the shrine. "No reason," he said simply. Zoro thought he was going to say more, but Sanji just stood there looking around at his shrine and his forest. The blond took a deep breath, turned on his heel to pick up a basket of oranges and walked past Zoro.

"That's it? Why the hell did you even come here? Give a shitty prayer, talk the shrine down and leave? I don't think so. I think you came here so I could kick your ass," Zoro said, advancing aggressively towards the cook.

Sanji looked over his shoulder impassively. "I had a whim," he said, eyeing Zoro. "Thought I'd come by and say a prayer for my friends. Not that you're the world's authority."

"A prayer for your friends? It didn't sound like that to me," Zoro questioned, still partially making fun of Sanji. Underneath that, though, he was damn curious. He had never seen Sanji pray in the few weeks he'd been watching him, not once. And he'd never heard or seen him worry about his friends.

"Of course it didn't," Sanji sighed. "It's none of your business anyway, asshole."

"It is, since they're my friends, too. You said you had a bad feeling. Why, exactly, is that?" Zoro questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sanji frowned at Zoro. "You were really listening in the whole time?" Sanji asked, glancing behind Zoro at the tree he broke in half. The cook turned his head so the he was facing forward again. "It's because I don't know what's going to happen."

"You don't know what's going to happen with what?"

"You're awfully damn curious all of the sudden," Sanji observed, lifting his chin slightly. "If it were any of your business, somebody would have told you, plant bastard."

"Tch- that's why I'm asking! Is somebody in trouble?" Zoro tried to rehash his approach.

Sanji didn't answer right away, and when he did it was very quiet. "Just me."

If Zoro weren't a demon, he wouldn't have caught it. But, he did. "What? What did you do?" Zoro asked, still trying to be light and not make assumptions, but that stupid feeling that he had far too often around the cook was making its appearance in his chest.

The blond was fiddling with something in his pocket, presumably his cigarettes. "Nothing. Later, shithead," Sanji said casually, taking his free hand out of his pocket and waving once over his shoulder as he walked away. Zoro stood frozen for just a second, trying to think beyond the cook telling him that he was in trouble, but not what for. But, the sound of retreating footsteps snapped him back into reality.

"Hey, wait a second!" Zoro called, taking long strides to catch up to Sanji. The demon glanced over his shoulder at the fallen tree by his shrine before falling into stride beside the cook. "You can't just tell me that you're in trouble and not tell me why! The fuck is going on, shitty cook?"

His words gave Sanji pause for a fleeting moment. "I don't recall ever cooking for you before," Sanji said, venomously. "And I happen to be quite a skilled chef, thank you very fucking much."

"Is that all you caught of what I said?" Zoro asked, incredulously furious. "I asked you what the _fuck_ is going on!"

"Nothing of any _goddamn importance_!" Sanji shouted, lashing out at Zoro with a swift kick to his midsection. Zoro tried to plant his feet, but he still slid back and stumbled. Before he could fully recover, the cook was glaring at him, speaking in a surprisingly calm tone. "I'm just overreacting," he said. "That's all. I don't know what's going to happen, so I'm overreacting. That's it, understand? Nothing for you to _worry_ yourself about." Sanji said the last part with overflowing sarcasm.

Zoro gritted his teeth, trying his damnedest not to draw his swords and use them against the blond and continually coming back to the argument in his mind that Sanji was only a human. He didn't know how to handle the situation, but he wanted to say something. Anything. He wanted to bend the cook's brain with his powers, to force him to tell the whole story, the truth. But, he couldn't do that. It was unfair, he felt, for Sanji to keep that information from him, but it was equally unfair for him to take it by force.

Regaining enough control to speak confidently, Zoro said, "I wasn't worried about you to begin with, damn curly brow."

Sanji flipped him off as he turned and exited onto the paved ground that would eventually lead him home. Zoro didn't let the cook get far before he followed him. He didn't know why he was doing it, but if he felt the need to justify it to himself later on, he'd say that the shitty feeling in his chest made him do it. He wanted to know what was going on, if it was just one fucked up coincidence or if it had something to do with the island's voice. More strongly than he thought possible, Zoro really hoped it was just a coincidence.

They didn't get very far before Sanji looked back over his shoulder agitatedly. "You following me? I thought you said you weren't worried, idiot moss," Sanji teased, switching the basket of oranges to his other arm and tucking his newly freed hand deep into his pocket. Idly, Zoro realized it was a little chilly out.

"Who says I'm following you? Maybe I just have something to do in this direction," Zoro argued, crossing his arms threateningly.

Sanji snorted. "Maybe you do," he said. Zoro could hear the condescending smirk in his voice.

"Shut the fuck up. I have my reasons."

"If you got shit to do, then stop following me," Sanji ordered over his shoulder as he waited for the pedestrian light to turn. Zoro stood far enough away from Sanji that the cook couldn't easily kick him, but he didn't leave. Sanji noticed that without looking Zoro's way. "I'm growing increasingly annoyed by your persistence," he said. "I know you don't have anything to do where I'm going."

"How am I supposed to know that's true? I don't know where the fuck you're going," Zoro scoffed. He was partly trying to annoy the cook, and partly being honest. He really didn't know where Sanji was going, although he could wager a good guess.

"Just fuck off, grass head," Sanji practically groaned, crossing the street to his right instead of going straight, like he looked like he was going to. Zoro was momentarily thrown off by yet another incredibly creative insult, but he still followed Sanji onto a different street. The blond definitely noticed, judging by the aggravated little growl that came from him.

"You know," Sanji began, taking a deep breath. "I think now would be a brilliant time for you to tell me what you did to my hand. You remember, right?" he asked casually with a shrug of his shoulders.

Zoro flinched slightly, holding his eyes closed for a prolonged moment. "Why would now be a 'brilliant' time for that?" the demon asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sanji shrugged again, his shoulders barely touching the tips of his hair. That seemed to be the only answer Zoro was going to get.

"Fine. You fell, okay? You fell, cut your hand, hit your head. You honestly don't remember?" Zoro spoke quickly, not liking the taste of the words in his mouth. The aftertaste became especially bitter when Sanji looked back at him questioningly. But, the cook didn't say anything to his discredit, or show any outward sign that he thought Zoro was lying. He looked like he'd just gotten a long anticipated answer.

As easily as that, Sanji relaxed quite a bit. He didn't turn back to question Zoro or tell him to go away or even look at him again until nearly fifteen minutes later. "Y'know, as much as I appreciate finally getting an answer on that, I don't want you following me home," the cook said easily, no longer trying to be rude.

Zoro almost said he could catch up later and that he already knew where Sanji lived, but he caught himself. "I already said, I'm not following you," Zoro reminded him, boredly. Really, the cook was starting to annoy the hell out of him, but he had to keep to his task. If push came to shove and he was too annoyed to deal with the stupid cook's complaining, he could always demand the information from him, no matter how much he dreaded the thought.

"Haven't seen you around since that day at Robin's," Sanji mentioned suddenly. Zoro couldn't sense any change in his mood, so he let Sanji get to the point in his own time, without apprehension. "The others, Luffy specifically, have been asking me if you could hang out with us again."

Despite his better judgement, Zoro asked, "Why would they be asking your permission?"

Sanji looked over his shoulder briefly, his visible eye only half open. "Well," he began, looking away from Zoro again. "I'd imagine it has something to do with what they're calling 'The Pool Incident.'"

"Ah." Zoro remembered said incident very well. It had been a tremendous mistake on his part, that whole day. He shouldn't have gone there, he really shouldn't have. But slipping up the way he did that day, by walking through the pool unaffected by the water and also by inadvertently telling Sanji he was the one who hurt him, that was inexcusable. He imagined they were afraid he and Sanji would get into another fight like they had that day, even though Sanji was the only one fighting.

Sanji fell into another increasingly suspicious silence, adjusting the handleless basket in his arms. Zoro began to dread what Sanji would say next, simply because he was being so odd. Had that blow to the head he'd received recently affected his brain?

"Are you okay with it, then?" Zoro asked, trying to keep the cook's thought train on the rails.

Sanji looked at Zoro over his shoulder again, slowing down slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked, giving a genuinely confused look to the swordsman.

"I mean, would you flip your shit if I hung around with your group?" Zoro asked, causing the cook to glare at him.

Rolling his eyes, Sanji said, "I guess not. I mean, as long as you're not a shitty little planthead to them. If you fuck with any one of them, I swear I'll-"

"I know what you'll do. I listened to your damn prayer," Zoro interrupted, snorting. "And, I wouldn't do anything to them. I don't know what it is about that kid, Luffy, but he's got a way of making friends. I count myself as one of them."

Sanji laughed quietly. "Good answer," he commended.

That stupid feeling in Zoro's chest jumped and the swordsman almost jumped with it. _What the fuck?_ Zoro asked himself, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"If you hang out with them, Luffy'll stop bitching at me about keeping you away," Sanji was saying, though Zoro hardly paid any attention. "He only thinks of it occasionally, at the oddest of times, but he's pretty bummed that I scared you off that day at the pool."

"Scare- What? You didn't scare me off, I left," Zoro elaborated, annoyed at the shot to his ego.

Sanji snorted. "I know that, you know that, but Luffy doesn't. Plus, I'm pretty badass."

"Ha! You couldn't scare me off if you tried," Zoro stated, internally snorting at the cook's self-compliment.

The cook stopped on the sidewalk outside the Baratie and turned to face Zoro, grinning. "You wanna bet?"

Before Zoro could answer, Sanji went through the alley, around to the back of the restaurant. Zoro followed him to the door, wondering if it was even okay for him to go inside properly. He'd been in through the window, yes. He'd been in the main dining area and bar, yes. But the back door? "Ne, cook." Sanji looked at him and suddenly Zoro couldn't think of how to ask.

"What, you wanna come in? I don't think so," Sanji said, shaking his head. "The old man won't let a stranger up into the house, no way."

"Stranger? Can't you just say I'm a friend of yours?" Zoro asked, unconvinced.

"I could say that..." Sanji said to himself, grinning slyly as he rolled his eyes away from Zoro. The swordsman growled in irritation and Sanji laughed. "Okay, okay. If you can convince him to let you up, then you're invited," the cook said as he entered straight into the kitchen.

Zoro followed him into the hubbub that was the beginning of the dinner rush, according to Sanji. Chefs were shouting at one another about orders, ingredients, space and insults. As they stood at the back wall of the kitchen, several chefs called out to Sanji.

"Oi, oi! Just 'cause yer the boss' brat doesn't mean you can stand around doin' nothin'!" a particularly large chef shouted.

"What the hell'd you bring a weirdo into the kitchen for?" another chef questioned, eyeing Zoro like he was a criminal. Zoro narrowed his eyes at that chef.

"Sanji, get your ass over here, the dinner rush is comin' in!"

The blond sighed irritatedly. "Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up. I got stuff to do upstairs, first. Where's the old man, or did he finally croak?"

"What did you say, you ungrateful little eggplant?!" A door beside them burst open and an angry old man with a braided moustache and a peg leg stood in that doorway, glaring down his nose at Sanji. "And what the hell are you doing, bringing customers in the back?"

"He's not a customer, shitty old man. Stop yelling already, you're getting dust everywhere," Sanji commented boredly. Zoro thought he recognized the older man, but he couldn't remember from where. The only thing he could think of was that weird hair styles must be contagious in that kitchen.

"Get out of my kitchen, shitty brat," the old man ordered, gesturing roughly to the door behind himself. Glancing at the baskt of mikan under Sanji's arm, he added, "And, don't use all of those. They're a rare gift and I don't want them all wasted in your crappy cooking."

"Oh, shut up and die already, ya old bastard!" Sanji snapped, loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, he leaned towards Zoro slightly and wished him luck before taking off through the door and upstairs. Zoro stared after him for a second, blatantly ignoring the old man's scrutinizing gaze.

The demon couldn't tell how easy it would be to convince Sanji's old man to let him upstairs the conventional way, so he took the unconventional route. Focusing on the old man's mind through his eyes, he said, "I'm a friend of Sanji's. You're going to let me go upstairs. Got it?"

"Got it," the moustache chef mumbled dazedly, stepping aside and allowing Zoro entrance to the apartment.

**Hahaha, again! I should be famous for bad endings. xD I'm actually almost done with the next part, so, you can't complain! Ja ne~**


	21. Ich sehe in Dein Herz

**Well, I was going to hold out another day or two on posting this, but, I decided to treat you guys, just this once. ;)**

When Zoro reached the top of the stairs, he had to go through another door that led straight into the main room. Although he could see a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, an odd rectangular box on a cabinet and several bookshelves lining the walls, he did not immediately see Sanji.

Following his senses, Zoro found himself standing in the open doorway of an immaculate kitchen. He didn't know half the things that were in there, but it looked clean and organized and somehow it completely matched Sanji. The cook was standing at the light wooden counter beside the sink, peeling an orange and putting the peel in a small bowl.

"What are those for?" Zoro asked.

"Fuck!" Sanji jumped, nearly squishing the mikan completely in his hand. He whirled around to look at Zoro, confused and alarmed. "Warn a guy before you sneak up on him! Goddamn..." Sanji shook his head, leaning back against the countertop. "How the fuck did you even get up here?"

Zoro looked confusedly behind himself, where he could see the front door. "The same way you did?" Zoro suggested, looking at Sanji.

"And, the old man let you?" Sanji let out a whistle. "Damn, Zoro. What's your secret? Did you brainwash him or something?"

Zoro nearly choked. "No! Of course I didn't! The fuck are you talking about, crazy shit-brow? I can't brainwash people..." Zoro trailed off when the cook stared at him with a mildly amused look. He realized a little too late that he sounded like a crazy person.

"Ha. Little high-strung today, huh?" Sanji asked, raising an eyebrow at Zoro and smirking. At the glare he received, Sanji laughed. "Ooh, Moss is sensitive," Sanji teased, sectioning the peeled orange and placing the pieces in a medium-sized clear plastic bowl with a handle. The cook picked up another orange and started the process all over again.

"Shut up, fuckin' curlicue," Zoro grumbled, walking over to try and see what Sanji was doing with the mikan in the bowl. There were two peeled and sectioned mikan in the bowl, sitting in a shallow puddle of the juice from the orange Sanji squished. He could smell vanilla and sugar and flour among the smells of the kitchen, causing him a bit of a headache. He could only guess that the cook was going to be baking.

Sanji glanced at Zoro out of the corner of his eye and smiled, a genuine, childish smile. "It's going to be mikan cupcakes, as per Nami-swan's request," Sanji said, holding up the orange he was peeling.

"I thought you were supposed to be a cook. This isn't food," Zoro said, crinkling his nose slightly.

"Je suis un chef pâtissier," Sanji said, testily. "I am versatile, shitty plant. Plus, dinner is not dinner without dessert."

"If that's true, then I don't like dinner," Zoro said, placing aside the fact that he didn't eat human food very often.

Sanji frowned. "What do you mean you don't like dinner? Pastries are very good, idiot marimo. I don't know a single person who has ever tried my cooking that does not agree."

"I disagree," Zoro stated stubbornly.

"Well, you haven't tried my cooking," Sanji said, growing more and more annoyed with Zoro's persistent disdain. "Would you like to change that tonight, monsieur Marimo?"

"French and Japanese in the same sentence..." Zoro puzzled, frowning. "Your eyebrow must be rotating out your language with its swirl."

"Haha," Sanji said, dryly. He sent Zoro a withering look, although the other was no longer paying attention, in favor of looking around the kitchen. "At least I have multiple languages, baka marimo!"

Zoro snorted. "Urusei, aho."

"Ah! He speaks Japanese! I'm not convinced," Sanji said, picking up a fourth orange and peeling it effortlessly. Zoro had started wandering around the kitchen, looking out into the living room, then coming back in and looking down the hall at the laundry room. Sanji felt the need to give him something to do. "Oi, plant. Can you hand me a big mixing bowl from that cabinet?" Sanji asked, pointing to the one he meant.

"I'm not your servant, asshole," Zoro said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall opposite the cabinet Sanji was pointing to. Sanji barely glanced his way as he sectioned the fourth mikan and put it in the clear plastic bowl with the rest in silence. Somehow, Zoro didn't think that silence would end well for him.

The cook placed an odd-shaped lid on the plastic bowl and pressed a button that made an awful, loud sound and caused the oranges to spin as they were beaten to a literal pulp. Zoro took that as a terrible sign for what the cook was thinking. When the noisy thing stopped its horrific whirring, Sanji turned slowly to face Zoro.

"You know," Sanji began, taking a deep breath and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his cigarettes and lighter in one hand and lit up before continuing. "You were awfully persistent to get up here, only to walk around like you've never seen a proper living space. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were casing the place." Sanji paused, inhaling and exhaling smoke languidly. "And, the only reason I say 'if I didn't know better' is because I know me and the old man only have shitty stuff up here, nothing of value."

A single, half-lidded blue eye watched him from across the kitchen, clearly unhappy. Zoro almost couldn't keep still under the unwavering gaze. It wasn't particularly sharp, or even accusatory. Only vaguely inquiring. But, it made him nervous. Not that he would outwardly show it.

"So, why are you up here? And, what gives you the right, after imposing yourself into my home, to refuse my request?" Sanji asked calmly.

In that moment, Zoro experienced one of the very few times he'd felt a significat aura from a human. It was a dangerous aura, not necessarily mad, but dangerous. And, damn, it was powerful. He wanted to know what it would be like to push Sanji over the edge, to piss him off so bad that he would never forgive. He thought he'd felt that wrath before, and then Sanji had forgiven him. He would never want to be on the receiving end of the cook's calm rage.

Raising his chin, Zoro spoke up. "Maybe I just wanted to see your shitty house, like a normal person. Maybe, I didn't want or expect to be ordered around, especially not by some skinny, curly-browed cook."

Sanji mulled over those words in his head for a minute, quietly smoking. "Alright, then," Sanji said neutrally. "You have two choices; you can listen to me and help me make these cupcakes, or you can get your ass out of my house."

"Those are my only choices?" Zoro asked, his top lip curling up slightly in distaste. Sanji shrugged. Despite Zoro's mountainous pride, he did not want to leave. He couldn't put his finger on the exact reason, but he wanted to stay a while longer in the cook's strong presence. "Fine."

With the most prominent scowl he could consciously create, Zoro dug around for and retrieved a large mixing bowl out of the cabinet. He roughly shoved it at Sanji and the cook smiled at him. "Good boy," the cook mocked, placing the bowl on the counter.

Sanji went about making his cupcakes with very few words, only occasionally making comments and trying to ask questions. There was a tense subtext to everything the cook said, and that made Zoro even more wary than before. It was like there was something on Sanji's mind, something that he just wasn't saying. Just like the earlier silence, Zoro sensed that whatever the cook was withholding would not end well for him.

"There," Sanji said, wiping his hands on the black mock-suit apron he was wearing after putting the cupcakes in the oven. "That gives us twenty minutes to figure out why the hell you're still here," Sanji joked as he hung the apron on a hook on the wall beside the oven.

"You haven't tried to kick me out yet," Zoro said, following Sanji through the living room and the hallway, ending up in the cook's bedroom. He recalled that the last time he had been in the cook's room, it was to save his life. He could still vaguely smell blood in the room, but he was telling himself that was because Sanji still had a cut on his head.

Somewhere along the way, Sanji had picked up his jacket and tie, both having left his body sometime between his trip up the stairs and Zoro's arrival into the apartment. The cook put his clothes away while Zoro observed the room.

Last time he'd been there, he hadn't really paid much attention to the room. But, looking at it, he decided the only way it could be more "Sanji" was if it had his name written all over the walls. The bed covers were dark blue, the carpet light blue, both pristine. The walls were a color that was indescribably warm that offset all the blue in the room, with various posters and pictures hung up perfectly straight. There was a stack of records on the desk opposite the bed, as well as a few books and a silver lamp. The nighstand next to the head of the bed held random things: a glass of water, a folded piece of paper, a watch and a cookbook. Zoro couldn't explain why, as he was coming to realize he wouldn't be able to do with much of anything concerning the cook, but the room fit him well.

"You look like a shitty stalker right now," Sanji commented with a snort.

"Shut up. I'm just trying to figure you out, mystery brow," Zoro said, not putting much attitude behind the words as he picked up and opened a notebook off the desk.

Sanji barked a laugh. "Figure _me_ out? Compared to you, I'm a fucking _open book_."

"So what if I like my privacy?" Zoro asked, arching one eyebrow. The feeling in his chest had been absent for quite a while, but what took it's place was not nearly the same. It was much, much stranger, and much, much worse. It was suspicion.

"Privacy is one thing," Sanji said, shifting his weight to one foot. "But, I don't know a thing about you other than your name. That's a little too private, don't you think?"

"What is it you want to know?" Zoro asked cautiously. It was starting to feel like curtains opening inside his brain. _We're getting close to the point_, he thought.

Sanji shrugged, leaning against his desk slightly. "For starters, how old are you?"

Zoro was not impressed. "I'm nineteen," he said, a practiced lie. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Of course not. Where do you live on the island?" Sanji asked, sounding honest enough.

That time, Zoro hesitated for a second. "On the edge of the forest. You know the one I'm talking about."

Although the answer was so vague Zoro himself didn't understand it, Sanji nodded. "Okay," the cook said. "How about school?"

Zoro's eyes narrowed so slightly and so briefly Sanji couldn't possibly have caught the movement. "Don't go. Haven't in a long time," Zoro answered, patience dripping away quickly. His tone just made it sound like he was sore about his education, but that didn't matter at all.

Sanji nodded slower that time, processing the information. "Alright. I guess you work, then?"

"I have a job, yeah," Zoro said irritably. "Is there a point to all this?"

Making a strange noise, Sanji looked him dead in the eyes. "The point is, you're here, in my house, my _bedroom_, you know my friends and where I go to school and where I work and what I do, but I don't know a damn thing about you. Haven't I said already? I don't want fucking strangers in my house." As angry as the words could have sounded, they only sounded calm. Patient. The cook was being patient with him.

"Maybe there are some things I don't want anyone to know?" Zoro suggested, lifting his chin in a slightly daring manner. Challenging the cook to press further. Sanji met Zoro's glare with a look so patient it was almost too calm.

"Everyone has things they don't want anyone to know, shitty marimo." Sanji pushed away from the desk and started to walk past Zoro. As he went by, he said, "But, you don't keep secrets from your friends."

Zoro frowned. He didn't know if he would consider the two of them friends. They had a very odd sort of relationship, but they weren't friends. Not really. So, keeping secrets was okay. Right?

"Oi," Zoro called, finding himself in a part of the house that he didn't recognize. "What if the secrets are really bad?"

"It doesn't matter," Sanji called back, appearing in the doorway of whichever room it was that Zoro had found his way into. "Real friends wouldn't care. You lost?"

"No! Of course I'm not lost! It's just a house, shit cook, there's no way!" Zoro passed Sanji out into the hall and the closest thing to a giggle he'd ever heard out of the cook filled the apartment. "And, I don't have any real friends."

Zoro found himself in a bathroom a moment later, as Sanji was talking to him. "You do, too. I thought I already mentioned that Luffy wants you to be his friend."

The demon was looking around, trying to find a way back to the living room in that maze of an apartment when Sanji appeared behind him, leaning against the wall. "This is probably the most amusing thing I've seen all day," the cook mused aloud, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Urusei! I don't need your commentary, asshole!" Zoro yelled, stomping out of the dark room he was in and past the cook. He was relieved to see that he was back in the living room.

Sanji laughed dryly behind him. "Look at that. The talking monkey found his way to the largest room in the apartment," Sanji said with false enthusiasm.

"I swear, if I didn't think it'd make my swords irreversibly shitty, I'd kill you right now," Zoro grumbled, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Ooh, that's a big word, shitty plant. You sure you know what that means?" Sanji teased, dodging easily when Zoro threw a punch his way.

"I used it in a sentence, didn't I?!"

Sanji laughed again and started to respond, but his words were cut off by a loud but delicate chime. "Cupcakes are done," Sanji mumbled happily, moving to the kitchen. Zoro just waited in the living room, standing somewhat awkwardly by the couch. Slowly, it clicked in his mind that he'd been at Sanji's house for at least twenty minutes, when he should have been out patroling for whatever danger had caused the island such unrest.

"I should get going, soon," Zoro said, raising his voice to be heard over the new, muted whirring sounds that Sanji had evoked in the kitchen. It didn't seem like the cook heard him, since the obnoxious noise hadn't stopped and Sanji hadn't said anything, so Zoro went to the kitchen. "Did you hear me?" he asked.

The cook, donning his apron once more, flipped a switch on the shiny metal contraption holding a bowl on the countertop to make it quiet and he turned around. "Huh? What did you say?"

A muscle in Zoro's face twitched at the smell of more sugar as he repeated himself. "I should be going. It's getting dark out there," Zoro said, using possibly the lamest excuse he'd ever heard. But, Sanji seemed to believe him.

"I can't blame you, what with the sense of direction you have. I'd leave early, too. In fact, how haven't you already gotten lost on some other island?" Sanji asked, pulling a spoon out of one of the many drawers in the kitchen and pointing it at Zoro inquisitorially for a moment before turning to whatever he'd been working on.

Zoro looked around, feeling strangely awkward and reluctant. "Uh, okay. I'll be going, now."

"What, _now?_" Sanji asked, turning back around to face Zoro with a new bowl in his arms. "Like, right now? You got somewhere to be, moss?"

"Yeah, something like that. It's better that I leave before too long."

Sanji hummed in thought, stirring the intensely sugary-smelling substance in the bowl. "Okay. Well, can you stay for just a few more minutes? I need a taste-tester that hasn't been even partially desensitized to these oranges over the years."

"You want me to... do what exactly?" Zoro asked, looking around at the counterspace covered with cupcakes on a cooling rack. The mingling sweet and citrus smells were making his nose burn a little.

"Don't look so horrified. It's just a cupcake, not weed killer," Sanji said, observing Zoro's expression as the cook picked up a cupcake and frosted it. "They're still kind of warm, so the icing will melt a little, but since you'll be leaving soon..." Sanji shrugged to finish his sentence and held the mildly iced cupcake out to Zoro. "Hai. Take a bite."

The cupcake was maybe a foot away from his face, making the smell very strong. It wasn't particularly unpleasant, he supposed, but he had never been one for sweets. "I'll pass," Zoro said, his nose scrunching up slightly as he leaned away from the offensive pastry.

Sanji's eyebrows met one another and he tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong? I even peeled the wrapper back for you, shitty marimo, just-"

"I don't like sugary things," Zoro said, with a slight feeling that he was repeating himself.

The cook frowned, stepping towards Zoro. "I'm not telling you to eat the whole batch, I'm just asking you to test one for me."

Zoro shook his head. "I'd rather not. You can get someone else to test it, can't you?" he asked, growing more frustrated with the pushy cook and his cupcakes.

"Yeah, but you're right here! What's one cupcake gonna harm? You aren't allergic to dairy are you? Or citrus?" Sanji inquired, trying to be nice, but only pissing Zoro off.

"No! I'm not allergic to anything, I just don't want to eat your shitty cupcakes! Can't you wrap your head around that?!"

Sanji pursed his lips, withdrawing the cupcake. "Fine. Go, then. You don't have any reason to stay, so get the fuck out of here," Sanji said, waving his hand in the general direction of the door.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Zoro said under his breath as he left the apartment.

oOo

Patroling the island was a fruitless expedition. He couldn't feel any other demons in the populated areas, except Robin and Chopper, but those two were minding their own business. Not that he suspected Chopper would shed anybody's blood for anything other than a vitally important surgery. But, he was looking for demon presences and Chopper's, of course, came up.

Zoro didn't think humans would be behind the approaching bloodshed, because the last time the island had a war, Zoro was not warned until demons entered the picture. But, he couldn't sense any malicious energy, or unknown demon energy. The island was safe, it seemed.

The swordsman could not contain the sigh of relief that seemed to bubble up from his toes. He knew the island wasn't wrong, that something bad was definitely going to happen, but he was glad it seemed it would not happen immediately. He wanted at least some time to think before blood was shed.

Zoro's brain was working like a ferris wheel that evening, as it had been for nearly an hour as he'd made a quick once-over of the island. It had circled back around to the humans more times than he could count. More specifically, it circled around to the human that he was sure hated him and that he hated in return; the human that had said at his shrine that he was in trouble, but had prayed for his friends instead. The human that everything always came back to. Sanji.

He wasn't sure why he was so damn worried about the cook, especially since he'd seen him fight and knew he was skilled. But, that feeling in his chest had pounded painfully when he thought of Sanji, making him even angrier. What did it even mean? He'd never felt that feeling before, not for anyone. He couldn't even begin to figure it out, but he wanted it to stop. Now.

There wasn't any solution that he could think of, other than to return to the scene of the crime, so to speak. He couldn't even sort out in his mind why that made sense to him, it just did. He didn't know if he would talk to the cook, or watch him through the window, or, hell, just chop his damn head off and be done with it. It was fucking annoying.

When Zoro got to the Baratie, any thoughts of what he might do disappeared. He couldn't even process anything. The feeling in his chest became more oppressive and pressed on his lungs in a bizarre and annoying way.

Through the window, from the rooftop of the jewelry store, Zoro could see in through the cook's curtains, through the open door, through the hall, all the way to the living room. Sanji was sitting on the armrest of the couch, holding a frosted cupcake in his hand close to his face.

"I don't find you repulsive," he said, presumably to the cupcake. "In fact, I think you're very lovely. Nami-swan will surely appreciate you, I'm positive." Sanji got up away from the couch and walked out of view for a minute before appearing again and sitting back on the arm of the couch. Looking miserable, the cook said, "There. Now you can live out the rest of your cupcake life with awesome hair. You're welcome, mon enfant." Zoro noticed vaguely that the cupcake had more icing than before.

Sanji placed the wrapper off the cupcake in his lap, took a breath and bit into the pale orange cupcake. Zoro couldn't quite figure out why the cook was emanating a bad mood, or why he felt responsible, but it did not make tomorrow look promising.

**I didn't know where to put the asterisks in all that, so, I'll just translate down here. xD**

**Mikan - Orange, tangerine. You know what Nami's/Bellemere's mikan are, don't you? (For plural, I have recently realized, the Japanese do not put an 's' at the end. So, mikan is single and plural.)**

**Je suis un chef pâtissier - I am a chef pastry. xD Pastry chef, I mean.**

**Monsieur - Mister. Mister Marimo. xD I thought that was funny.**

**Urusei - Shut up. Very straightforward.**

**Aho - In the sense that I used it, "dumbass."**

**Hai - Typically meaning "yes," but it's used for "here." Not like "this place" but like, "here, have this."**

**Annd, that should be all.**


	22. Etwas gutes oder schlechtes

***Yawns* Hello, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it and are not Canadian. xD Man, I'm tired. I think I'm going to sleep... But, you can go on and read this while I snore like a jackhammer and drool all over the place.**

Though he had a clear objective, Zoro could not focus. He told himself that he had to find Robin. For the past week he'd been telling himself that, but he hadn't been able to properly focus, let alone locate the woman. He needed to talk to her, just talk if he could manage it, but that was hardly ever what he was thinking about.

"Fucking cupcakes!" Zoro groaned for maybe the fifth time that day. He didn't know why it sat wrong with him, but it just did. Despite his advanced age and knowledge, he had no idea how to handle the situation he was in with a certain cook. He was frustrated at Sanji for reacting the way he did, but at the same time he wanted to make him feel better. To un-hurt his feelings, as he had so brilliantly thought in the pre-dawn hours of the third morning after he'd last seen the cook.

It was annoying as hell to know that there was something he very much _needed_ to do that was more widely appreciated than what he _wanted_ to do. He really did need to figure out Robin's deal and recruit her help, among other things, but he really, really just wanted to go find Sanji. For what purpose, he didn't quite know, but he wanted to figure it out. He was on the verge of deciding he _needed_ to when he caught the scent.

It was afternoon, in a seemingly random spot on the island, but there, mixed in with several meaningless scents was the one that made his attitude change every time. Sanji was near, he realized, already moving off the beaten path and taking a short cut to get to where Sanji was. He didn't know why he did that, especially when he caught on to the "meaningless" scents a moment later.

"Demons," Zoro spat, unconsciously baring his teeth at the unseen, unwelcome demons. They were too close. He thought he'd searched the island for demons already, but in his preoccupied state, he may have just been searching for Robin's specific energy, not demons in general. _How did I miss this?!_

The scent, the presence in its entirity, was powerful. It did not quite match up to Robin's or his own demon energy, but it was beyond enough to create destruction in the human society. Zoro could've punched himself for not noticing sooner.

"This is it!"

Zoro stopped completely, though he'd just been running at a pace considered scary fast by humans. _That voice... The island. This- Wait, this is it?!_

From somewhere still just out of sight, Zoro could hear voices, familiar ones and stranger ones. Sanji was there, talking with them. With the demons. He could hear the others, too, Luffy and Usopp and Nami. "Goddamn fucking humans!" Zoro hissed, hauling ass to get to where they were.

He stopped just shy of a clearing, a park, maybe, if he thought about it, but all he noticed were his humans standing to his left, just the four of them, and a very large group of demons and humans alike in very aggressive stances across the grassy field from them. Zoro could feel it, then. The electricity preceding a fight.

oOo

"So you're the little punks I've heard about causing trouble down here?" Don Krieg bellowed in his cocky voice, looking down on Luffy and Sanji and, by extension, Usopp and Nami who were cowering behind them. "Hah! You brats don't look all that strong! You must be mistaken, Gin!"

Sanji's eyes leveled on Gin and the latter looked away. Sanji had seen it coming, yes. He had expected it. But, somehow it made him angrier to see that little snitch in person. Nami and Usopp had been telling him that he should have finished the deed, made Gin incapable of doing any harm. Despite the kind of violence that would entail, he was considering it.

"Ooooh, _this_ is Don Krieg? He looks like a gorilla," Luffy comment, giving an impressed nod. Usopp and Nami began wailing about something, but Sanji hardly listened. There was a time to dote and a time to focus, and this was the time to focus.

Sanji blew out smoke around his cigarette. "Yeah. I agree with that assessment. Definitely a gorilla."

An incredibly pronounced vein showed itself on Don Krieg's temple and he frowned in a very ugly way. "What's that? Children with a death wish?" He threw his head back and laughed and Sanji saw Luffy grin beside him. "Don't piss me off! I came to this island for one reason, but if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to kill you, even if you are just brats!" Krieg shouted, suddenly angered beyond condescending laughter.

Luffy laughed, patting Sanji on the back suddenly. "Oh, really? And, here I thought you were only here to kill Sanji! That's good!"

"That means we can just leave, right? Right?!" Nami asked, pulling at Luffy's t-shirt to try and get him to move.

"Yeah! We don't have to have a fight! Hahaha, everybody peace!" Usopp chattered, assisting Nami in trying to move Luffy. The Captain was not budging.

"I was really looking forward to kicking your ass, though," Luffy said to Krieg, laughing again. "You are a bad guy, after all!"

Krieg raised his chin to look down his nose at Luffy and Sanji standing only yards away from him, smirking at Luffy. "That's right! I'm the baddest, kid. You've got no chance against the future Pirate King!"

And just like that, Luffy's grin was gone. He raised his own chin in a less threatening gesture than Krieg had and pointed at his enemy. From behind Luffy, Nami and Usopp could be heard cursing Krieg for his choice of words. "Now hold on a second," Luffy said seriously. "The one who's gonna be Pirate King is me!"

Don Krieg laughed like that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "This isn't a game, you little punk! Someone like you could never become the Pirate King!"

"Now, we're doomed..." Usopp and Nami wailed. Sanji just snorted. _This is gonna be a quick fight_, he thought.

"That's what you think," Luffy said, looking up at Krieg past the brim of his hat. "But, I could kick your ass."

There was a small pause in which Krieg looked like he couldn't decide whether to be offended, scared, angry, or amused. Somehow, all of that combined to create an annoyed expression on his already ugly face. "You're pissing me off, brat! I wasn't going to kill you, but maybe I'll do that before I get to my real business on this shitty little island."

"Haha, you can try! But, I gotta warn you; I'm pretty strong!" Luffy said, his playful grin returning as he cracked his knuckles. "Ne, Sanji. You got the underlings? I wanna kick this guy's ass first."

Sanji extinguished his cigarette in the damp grass. "Of course. Nami-swan, my delicate flower, you may want to find somewhere safe to be~! Oh, and you too, Usopp."

"Right," Nami nodded quickly, turning and heading towards the trees surrounding the park.

"N-n-never! I'm n-n-not sc-scared! But, if you insist..." Usopp quickly joined Nami behind a large tree.

Krieg looked on, growing increasingly irritated by the scene in front of him as his crew stood solid and quiet behind him. After a second, Gin spoke. "You... Krieg-san, please! You don't have to fight with them! You're only here about the island's guardian, right?"

"Sou desu?"* Krieg said, not taking a step towards doing so.

"Too late now, shitty bastard. The fight's already begun," Sanji said, grinning fiendishly at Gin.

Luffy whined, pouting just as suddenly as he ever did anything. "Aww, that means you'll be late to work, Sanji!" he said, directing his pout at the cook momentarily. "And we'll have to go eat later!"

"It'll be a celebratory feast, then," Sanji told him, and Luffy's eyes gleamed in anticipation.

"A feast?! Alright! Sanji, you're the best!"

"No problem, Captain."

Don Krieg busted out laughing, throwing his head back. His golden armor-clad shoulders shook annoyingly with his laughter, and Sanji and Luffy exchanged a look of confusion at the sudden outburst. "You're a Captain? Ahahaha! Some straw hat-wearing, stringy punk thinks he can be a Captain? Give me a break! You'd never make it on those seas!"

Luffy grinned, swiping at his nose with a thumb. "Together with my crew, nothing is out of our reach!"

"You're pissing me off, kid! You need to learn when to shut your mouth!" Krieg spat, flexing his arms and making his armor shift on his shoulders in a very unnatural way to reveal guns that were aiming in the direction of Luffy and Sanji.

Sanji fished in his pockets for cigarettes and a lighter, seemingly not paying attention to what was going on around him as a man wearing heavy-looking metal and pearl shields stepped towards him. "So, you got the big guy?" Sanji asked.

Luffy nodded. "Mm-hmm. It looks like you may have two enemies, though."

"Only two. The weaklings hiding behind their Captain rather than beside are just for numbers. They'll be nothing," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag before he continued. "In fact, I think Nami-swan and Usopp could take them out."

"Don't just say things by yourself!" Nami and Usopp snapped.

Luffy laughed, straightening his hat on his head. "Don't worry, guys. We'll handle this!"

oOo

_They can't do this! They're just humans! A human fighting a human is one thing, but fighting demons?! They'll be killed!_ Zoro panicked internally, walking as fast as he could towards Luffy and Sanji without being suspiciously fast. He could tell Krieg finally sensed him, after minutes of standing unnoticed. At the menacing smile he got, he wasn't sure he really wanted Krieg to know he was there, but it was too late.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zoro asked, briefly wondering if it was too weird for him to randomly show up. No, it wasn't too weird, considering some of the things he'd seen the humans do in the time he'd been watching them. Appearing right when they needed him was not the strangest thing that could have happened.

"Zoro, thank God! Can you talk those two idiots out of starting a fight?" Usopp called loudly from behind a tree trunk. _I thought you thought I was a serial killer, baka..._ Zoro sent a very unimpressed glare towards Usopp.

"Oh, Zoro! You wanna join us?" Luffy asked merrily, looking over his shoulder at Zoro and grinning. There was something different in that grin, only a hair away from his usual one. Zoro couldn't say he'd ever seen Luffy look like that and he couldn't figure out what was different. He had a feeling he'd soon find out, though.

The swordsman looked over to Don Krieg, a man he'd heard very little about except that he was a ruthless coward, hated among demons. The bastard had the audacity to smirk at him challengingly, but Zoro only frowned in response.

"Ah... Roronoa Zoro, eh? I've been looking for you. Still the guardian of th-" Don Krieg was cut off by a sound like a whirlwind, loud enough to drown out any and every other noise. A strong wind blew through the park a moment later and Krieg's men dropped like flies, humans and demons alike. "What the-?!"

Standing at the far end of the park, behind Krieg by at least a hundred yards, was a man in a black jacket with purple sleeves, a pair of light purple pants and a wide-brimmed black hat adorned with a long, fluffy plume. Zoro perhaps wouldn't have known who the man was just by looking at him with his head tilted away, even though his clothes were definitely unique. But, if the black blade that was almost bigger than the man himself wasn't a dead giveaway, nothing would be.

"D... Dracule Mihawk!" Krieg's face drained of any color it might have had as he looked over his shoulder at the man in question.

_No, not man. Demon,_ Zoro internally corrected, fists clenching at his sides. "You..." Zoro said venomously, narrowing his eyes at Mihawk, who still had not looked up. Just beyond him was a raft, floating gaily on the mild waves of the contained seawater meant to be a lake that Mihawk seemed to be staring at.

"Oh~ he's purple-y. Hen na ossan!"* Luffy observed, pointing at Mihawk in the classy, delicate way that he does everything.

That, as Zoro's luck would have it, was the moment Sanji decided to acknowledge he was there. Zoro knew he was pulling a face, he could tell by the way it felt and by the thoughts running through his brain about how thoroughly damning it was that Luffy said something like that to _the_ Dracule Mihawk. He also knew, by the look on Sanji's face in reaction to the look on his own face, that it was not a good look, and that it did not make Sanji any more confident or happy than he had been before. _Perfect..._

"Roronoa," Mihawk said, at a normal volume that no human would be able to hear from that distance. "You are disrupting fate."

Zoro couldn't answer since he was standing so near to Sanji and Luffy, humans who would not know that Mihawk even spoke. Instead, Zoro tied his black bandana onto his head and drew his swords. "Dracule Mihawk. What are you doing here?" he called across the field, as if he did not expect Mihawk could hear him just fine at a whisper from under water.

"Let it happen. Do not disrupt what must be," Mihawk warned, raising his sword so the sunlight glinted off the midnight blade in a threatening way.

"What the hell is that guy doing?" Sanji asked in a low voice, leaning towards Luffy.

"Mah... I don't think he's gonna stop us. But, it looks like that guy knows him," Luffy said, pointing to Krieg. "Zoro, do you know who that is over there? I've never heard of him."

Zoro held Wadou's hilt near his mouth as he explained, "That guy... is the man holding the title of World's Greatest Swordsman. I've never met him before, but I know him by reputation." _He's known by both demons and humans for that..._

Slowly and steadily, almost like he was pretending to be a human, Mihawk walked towards them, stepping carefully around the unconscious if not dead bodies on the ground. Don Krieg and his two remaining upright crew members, Gin and the man with the giant shield, looked nervous as he approached, but they did not move. Zoro could tell that Krieg and the shield guy, both demons, knew exactly who was in front of them, but the human in their group looked like he might say something.

For a minute, Zoro thought Mihawk was going to dispatch Krieg and his men, but he just walked right past them, hawk-like eyes set on Zoro. As Mihawk kept coming, Zoro stepped out in front of Luffy and Sanji, noticing the curious looks he received, particularly when he put Wadou between his teeth. "I have to fight him," Zoro told them, looking at Luffy first, then at Sanji. He told himself he didn't care when Sanji looked away immediately, putting on his game face.

"Alright. Do what you have to do, Zoro," Luffy said, nodding at Zoro in a very understanding and serious way, despite the grin on his face. "I'm gonna kick Krieg's ass."

Zoro smirked. "I know you are. Good luck."

Mihawk looked sternly at Zoro, but he was far from changing his mind. Even if Mihawk, the demon he'd been trying to overcome his whole life, wanted him to leave things be and let innocent human blood be shed, he couldn't do it. Normally he might just let it happen, but since they were _his_ humans, there wasn't a chance.

"I'm not going to let you win, Mihawk," Zoro said around his sword, pacing forward a few steps away from the humans so he had room.

"This won't end well for you," Mihawk told him, the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his eyes.

Zoro scoffed. "Like I'd allow something like this to happen on my island," he said, narrowing his eyes and crouching down. A split second before their fight started, he could swear he saw a glimmer of intrigue in Mihawk's eye, directed at his swords.

Throwing caution to the wind, Zoro used his demon speed to attack Mihawk. The older demon was faster, almost insanely fast as he dodged Zoro's attacks, sheathing his own blade in the blur of Zoro's offense. "What are you doing?! Aren't you going to fight me?"

Mihawk said nothing, instead pulling his crucifix pendant from around his neck and pulling off the bottom to reveal a blade no bigger than a paring knife. Zoro was going to comment until Mihawk blocked one of his strongest attacks with the dinky little thing. Then, he started to worry. _What if I can't protect them?_ he thought, turning his head quickly to catch Mihawk off guard.

Like the pro Zoro had always heard he was, Mihawk propelled himself back from all of Zoro's swords, landing a good distance away. Somehow, the way he held up his little cross knife made Zoro aware that he was going to attack only a second before he did.

Zoro knew they were moving too fast to be seen by the humans and they would surely be very suspicious, but he couldn't slow down. Mihawk wasn't giving him any room, and he apparently didn't care about humans knowing demons existed. Even his Oni Giri and Tora Gari weren't even scratching Mihawk. He was in trouble, he could feel it. Mihawk's knife left little cuts on his arms and torso as they danced around each other in a blur of shining metal and fluttering black fabric, counting off the seconds.

"You can do it, Zoro!" Luffy cheered, only a blip on Zoro's radar as he was slowly losing ground against Mihawk.

"Don't die, Marimo head," Sanji called, sounding less than sincere.

Then, the worst thing that could have happened, happened. Zoro went to attack at the same time that Mihawk did and the two swords in his hands were shattered by the little knife. Somehow, Mihawk ended up behind him and Zoro was still staring at the spot he had been standing in as the fragments that used to be his swords fell to the ground. "Shit..."

Zoro turned around, feeling a weakness in mind and body that he hadn't had earlier. He sheathed his solitary sword, watching Mihawk as he did so. The older demon looked at him, less severe than before, but certainly no closer to letting Zoro do as he pleased. Zoro didn't dare take the quiet opportunity to look around at the humans. He didn't want to see how they were looking at him. He didn't want to see shock or fear or anything that he had seen in past instances of humans having witnessed demon capabilities. He'd done all he could with his abilities to protect them. It was time for a new tactic.

Zoro spread his arms wide, giving Mihawk a slight nod and a look that he hoped conveyed what he wanted. He couldn't stand it. The fact that he was still so weak wasn't an easy one to think about. He wanted an honorable defeat, a definite loss to clear things up, but more than that, he hoped his tactic worked. And, Mihawk understood a little well.

"Impressive," Dracule Mihawk said, the beginnings of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He capped his little knife and hung the crucifix back around his neck. Then, he unsheathed his long, black sword and pointed it at Zoro. The next second, Mihawk was right in front of him and he could see red, smell blood in front of his face, but he didn't feel it. Not until he hit the ground.

"ZORO!"

*** Sou desu? – Is that so? (Something like that… I asked my sister, so if it's wrong, that's her fault. xD)**

*** Hen na Ossan – Weird old guy. Strange guy. xD Something very Luffy.**

**And, also, Zoro's attacks translate: Oni Giri – Demon Slash, Tora Gari – Tiger Hunt. Y'know, 'cuz he's awesome. Just like that cliffie. xDD**

**Oh, just 'cause I thought I should say, the translation for the title of this chapter is "Something good or bad."**


	23. Sie wecken

**Hahuhaaaa... What was supposed to be a two-part idea has now stretched into a three-part idea. Don't bother thinking about that one too hard, just read the story. xD**

He wasn't sure if he was breathing or not. He knew Zoro probably wasn't. But, he couldn't tell. He couldn't find the words or the air to speak. To move. Why? He didn't know. But, he called out. Or, was that Luffy? Maybe it was both. Maybe it was a whole other entity on another time plain, in a different universe. Anything was possible in that moment. Anything at all could have happened. He couldn't recall much of their fight because their arms had moved too fast for his eyes, but he knew it wasn't natural.

"Nami! Usopp! Come get him!" Luffy called, a distant sound in Sanji's mind. The cook watched as the man Zoro had fought stood near Zoro's head for a moment, then turned and left without a word. As the man walked over to his raft, Usopp and Nami ran to Zoro, picked up an arm each and dragged him off to the edge of the park. Then, Sanji remembered that they were in the middle of accepting Krieg's challenge.

"Luffy-"

The Captain cut him off. "I know," he said, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Nothing changes. When you finish your fight, go check on them. No matter what."

Sanji nodded, loosening his tie. "Understood."

As the man called Mihawk shoved off in his raft, Don Krieg returned to himself and directed his attention towards Luffy once more. After a moment of hesitance, a shit-eating grin broke out across Krieg's face. "No more demons around to save you, brat!" Krieg shouted, barking out a laugh that was nothing short of malicious.

Sanji narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion, but he quickly focused his attention to his opponents. Gin and the man wearing pearlescent shields were still staring after Mihawk and Sanji thought about just attacking without warning, but he had more integrity than that. He cleared his throat and they both turned to look at him. "So, who's first?" Sanji asked with a smirk.

The man with the shields started to say something, but Gin interrupted, stepping forward. "I would like to have a rematch, Sanji-san," he said, pulling his tonfa out from the back of his belt. "Our first fight was only a stroke of luck for you."

"'S'at right?" Sanji scoffed, taking a step forward and tapping the toe of his right shoe on the ground twice.

"Of course it is. Not just anybody gets to be the great Don Krieg's first mate," Gin said, swinging each tonfa experimentally. "I was taking it easy on you because I didn't want to hurt you too badly."

Sanji hummed, taking that in. He hadn't been certain before, but it had been his guess that Gin wasn't giving his all in their fight. Of course, he hadn't been using all his strength either, but their fight would go much faster if Gin had already showed Sanji his full strength. The cook didn't want to be stuck in a fight for too long while his friends were unguarded and Zoro may be bleeding out. Sanji glanced at Luffy, who was having the time of his life insulting Krieg to his right, before he shrugged. "We'll just have to see how this goes, then."

oOo

"...t safe, Na... ave to get..."

"-ow that!... e think about it..."

_The hell is that? I'm trying to sleep, assholes..._ Zoro tried to talk, but it wasn't working. He could swear he was saying the words out loud, but all he could hear were the incoherent mumbles of whoever was around him. The fact that that was all he could hear didn't register as alarming until another moment or two later. _I should be able to hear the whole island, no matter where I am..._

The demon tried to sit up, to open his eyes, to do anything at all, but nothing happened. He took a few deep breaths and tried again, but the only thing he could feel was a burning sensation all the way across his torso. _What the fuck is going on?_

"He's frowning! Doesn't that look scary and murderer-ish to you?"

"Oh, shut up! He's injured, Usopp, what the hell can he really do?"

_Injur-_ The burning turned to sharp, itching pain before he even finished the thought. Now he remembered. He had fought with Dracule Mihawk. No. He had _lost_ to Dracule Mihawk. Badly. And after all that, his whole body hurt. But, the worst was in a line from his left shoulder to his right hip, a line he could almost see, even though his eyes were closed.

He could sense a bit more, having almost awakened from whatever piteous pain-coma he'd been in. He knew that he was near his forest and that there were two humans in the immediate area. More specifically, Nami and Usopp. He guessed they must have taken him away from the battlefield, or else been told to babysit him, but he couldn't remember much after being slashed by Mihawk's blade. _It'll come back... I just have to try to remember,_ he thought.

"I think he's waking up!" Usopp's ear-grating voice shouted, far too near Zoro's ears to be even remotely tolerable.

"Do you have anything in your bag like a washcloth, Usopp?" Nami asked, sounding as human as Zoro had ever heard her.

Somewhere in the foggy pond that was his consciousness, Zoro noticed the smell of blood. Mostly his own, but human blood, too. He didn't recognize that untainted blood smell, but he could tell he'd smelt it inside someone's veins, when it was a much less pungent smell. From that fact, he knew it wasn't Sanji, the only one whose blood he'd smelt outside of the vein before.

Clearing his thoughts rather violently, a rough cloth was pressed into his wound near the shoulder. His body jerked against his will and he hissed in surprised pain. "Shit! Some warning would be nice!" Zoro growled, gritting his teeth.

"Zoro! You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive," Zoro snapped, attempting to turn over onto his side. "I was breathing, wasn't I?!" He opened his eyes just in time to see the two humans exchange a worried look. "...Wasn't I?"

"W-well," Usopp started, avoiding looking at Zoro. "For a second... Only a second, y'know, it just..." He and Nami exchanged another look and the redhead intervened.

"It's fine, Zoro, it-" she paused to take a deep breath, averting her eyes from Zoro's chest. "It was only for a second! Your heart only skipped a beat, that's all, but we couldn't be sure, because you... you've lost a lot of blood."

Zoro looked down at himself as best he could while lying flat on his back and he couldn't see his shirt for all the blood. "Damn..." The rag that Nami had pressed to his chest was already sopping wet and stained red. "Well, how did I get here if I'm so bad off?"

Another annoyingly concerned look was exchanged. "Luffy told us to get you out of there and take you somewhere safe, so..." Usopp finished with a shrug.

"We should probably get him to a hospital," Nami mentioned as if Zoro wasn't there. "He could bleed out-"

"No," Zoro cut her off firmly. "No hospital."

"Zoro, look at yourself! You've lost enough blood to kill three people!" Usopp screeched, gesturing to Zoro's chest with a nauseated look on his face.

The demon could feel his wound already starting to heal. He couldn't risk more humans seeing such a phenomena. It was bad enough Usopp and Nami may have to "forget" what was slowly happening right under their noses. "No. I'm not weak enough to be killed by just this."

"Good God, he's out of his mind," Nami groaned, standing and putting her hands over his face.

"'JUST?!' '_Just_ this?!' Zoro, you were practically chopped in half!" Usopp wailed, flinging himself to his feet and pacing.

Zoro didn't know why the two of them were so damn concerned. He was the one bleeding profusely from his upper body. The demon reached up with an arm that didn't feel like part of his body, but it must have been because it did what he wanted and tossed aside the rough, blood-soaked cloth from his wound.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Nami shrieked, pushing him back down when Zoro attempted to sit up. "You'll rip yourself wide open, idiot!"

"I need to get my shirt off," Zoro told her, expressing more patience than he had with anyone at the moment. "Chopper told me I should do something like that with serious injuries."

Another look exchanged between humans. "Well, okay... Usopp, help him sit up," Nami ordered, pointing at Zoro and then crossing her arms.

"Me?! Why me? Why can't you do it?!"

"Because I'm a girl, obviously."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

While Usopp and Nami bickered, Zoro pushed himself up on his elbows. He could practically feel his muscles cursing him and tissue tearing as he literally ripped the shredded wad of bloodstains that used to be a shirt from his body. It was, by no means, the worst wound Zoro had ever seen, but it still wasn't a pretty sight. Blood poured from the clean cut, seeping into his pants and tainting the ground around him. He was surprised at the lack of torn and gushing organs, but he supposed that if the greatest swordsman wanted to injure someone badly without killing them, he could do it. Mihawk really was great.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Usopp moaned, covering his mouth with both hands and turning away from Zoro, who was roughly mopping the blood off his chest with the remains of his shirt. Nami didn't even try to see what Usopp was talking about.

"Humans," Zoro grumbled under his breath, sitting all the way up and doing his level best to clean himself up. He had to make it as easy as possible for his wound to heal so he could go help Sanji and Luffy. He knew Mihawk had already left the island because he couldn't sense him anymore, but he could still sense the other demons. The ones who had been picking a fight with his humans.

"Zoro, you're gonna hurt yourself like that!" Nami chastised, grabbing Zoro's hands and trying to open out his fists. Blood trailed down his hands and arms from where his claws pierced his palms. He hadn't noticed he was doing that.

Unclenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Zoro asked, "What happened after I passed out?"

"We don't know," Usopp said, shaking his head. "Luffy told us to get you out of there, so we did. He and Sanji looked pretty shell-shocked, and the psychos that were picking a fight with them didn't look any better off."

"I need to go help them," Zoro said, moving to stand up.

"Are you kidding? You're- Holy shit, Zoro, you're healing!?"

oOo

"How ya holding up, Captain?" Sanji panted, wiping a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. Another frighteningly loud explosion sounded off behind him and a delayed moment later, he heard a tired version of Luffy's laugh.

"Just fine. How about you?" Luffy asked, cheerful although Sanji had the impression that Krieg was giving him a hard time.

Sanji looked to his own opponent, Pearl, who was bat-shit crazy and getting worse by the minute and he shrugged. "Oh, I'm alright. Not so sure about that celebratory feast, though," Sanji said conversationally, dodging as Pearl charged forward again in his maniac way.

"Aww, damn... Well, your old man can make it, right?" Luffy asked, grunting a bit from behind and to the left of Sanji, if his ears weren't too badly damaged and his brain wasn't as shaken up as it felt.

Sanji jumped up over a tactless momentum shot and kicked Pearl in the side of the head. "Ugh- I don't know. He's a testy old fart and he really doesn't like you guys much. I don't think- Whoa!" Sanji landed on someone's arm and stumbled over the body of one of Krieg's men, accidentally and luckily falling out of the way of a whooshing swipe. "I don't think any of the chefs really like you guys."

Krieg shouted in that drony, arrogant, sonuva way that he seemed to do a lot, but Sanji couldn't figure out what he was saying for the loud sound of his own pulse in his ears. The cook was dizzy and uncertain from all the back and forth and round in circles, dodging and swerving and tripping and getting up again, but he was pretty sure he heard Luffy laugh. Whether about what he said or what Krieg said, he didn't know, but laughter was a good sign.

"Is all you can do kick and run? That's pathetic!" Pearl shouted, clanging the shields on his fists together repeatedly. Sanji rolled his eyes, flipping up and kicking away another of Pearl's poorly aimed power shots. "You'll never beat me!"

"Heh. I'm a chef of the sea, asshole, I can beat you with my eyes closed," Sanji taunted, narrowing his eyes when Pearl only laughed. "I'll be more than happy to prove it by beating the shit outta you."

Pearl growled and picked up one of the fallen men from the battlefield and threw him at Sanji. "They call me 'Pearl the Iron Wall' for a reason!" he shouted, picking up and throwing another man who was conscious enough to yell.

Sanji dodged both makeshift bullets easily, watching both men land roughly thirty feet away with more than a bit of disgust for Pearl. Someone who uses such low down, dirty tricks as Pearl, screwing over his nakama and using them as weapons, was someone he could easily defeat. The only reason his fight with Pearl was taking so long was Pearl had very few vulnerable points. The insides of his arms and legs as well as his face, neck and shoulders were exposed, but those were difficult targets to hit. Sanji usually went for the body with his kicks, so Pearl was a bit of a challenge. But, just a small one.

"Ne, Sanji, what's the hold up?" Luffy asked, sounding far away. Sanji heard a shout and an explosion immediately afterward and cringed, despite how nonchalant Luffy sounded.

"Don't worry, Captain, I'm almost done here," Sanji assured him, leaping over a few more fallen pirates and throwing a kick at Pearl's head.

Pearl caught Sanji's kick with his left shield, not budging an inch. "You'll need more than that to defeat me, little chef!" Pearl laughed annoyingly, looking down at Sanji like he was the dirt beneath his feet.

Before either of them could even move from that stance, there was a loud shot that echoed in the wide open space of the park and then Luffy was catapulted through the air. Sanji's jaw dropped watching his friend fly and the trajectory of said flight. His eyes lead him to Pearl less than a second before Luffy hit the back of Pearl's head with his spine, knocking Pearl's face against his shield that was still holding back Sanji's foot.

"Wow. That was scary!" Luffy laughed, falling down and landing on his feet beside Pearl. "I thought I was gonna fall in the lake!"

Sanji looked across the field at Krieg, then back at Luffy. The distance was incredible, so much so that he had to wonder what kind of trouble they'd gotten themselves into. But, Luffy was still standing there, right as rain and grinning like nothing had happened. "Are you really okay?" Sanji asked worriedly.

"Of course I am, Sanji. Why wouldn't I be?" Luffy asked, dusting off his shorts. As Luffy picked up his hat and put it on his head, he looked up at Pearl and Luffy's expression changed to semi-amused confusion. "Huh?"

The cook followed his gaze and frowned. Pearl was shaking horribly, staring at a small blood smear on his hand. A thin stripe of blood dripped down from his nose and Pearl began muttering something too quiet for Sanji to hear.

"What's his deal?" Luffy asked, raising an eyebrow at Sanji and jerking his thumb at Pearl.

"I have no idea..." Sanji took a step back and urged Luffy to do the same. "But, I have a feeling this is going to get interesting."

"Blood... I'm bleeding. Danger! I'm in danger! He's a dangerous guy!" Pearl went from mumbling to shouting, his eyes growing wide and crazy. He threw a few aimless punches and clanged his fist shields together loudly.

In an instant, all of Pearl's shields caught fire and Sanji and Luffy jumped back away from him. "Whoa! How the hell did he do that?!" Sanji yelled, side-stepping a flaming ball that shot out from Pearl's armor.

"Awesome! That's so- ow! Hot! Hot!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping further away from the flames as patches of grass around them caught fire.

"What kind of technique is that?" Sanji asked incredulously as he leaned away from the flame-engulfed fist that Pearl threw his way.

"Now, you'll never even touch me! I am truly invincible now! Ahahahaha!" Pearl laughed maniacally, shooting flaming pearls from somewhere within his armor. "These are my gifts to you!"

"Luffy, now would be a good time for you to step back," Sanji said, moving to a place in the grass that wasn't bruning. The Captain nodded and moved to the far side of the veritable ring of fire that Pearl had created and Sanji flipped into a handstand, kicking away half a dozen flaming orbs.

"What's this? You aren't afraid of the flames?" Pearl questioned, swiping at Sanji.

Sanji avoided Pearl's attack easily, smirking and putting his hands in his pockets. "What kind of chef would I be if I were afraid of fire?" He waited a moment for Pearl to wind up for his next attack and pulled out one of his best power moves, swinging his leg up and slamming his heel into Pearl's face. He felt something crack beneath his shoe and grinned. That was exactly what he was going for.

"Whoa, Sanji, that was so cool!" Luffy raved, throwing his hands in the air.

Several of Krieg's men were waking up, then, panicking about the fire. Sanji had hardly remembered they were there as anything other than tripping hazards. As things were, what with their panicky scramble trying to calm Pearl down, Sanji wasn't sure he was wrong. They were absolutely useless.

"Sanji! Watch out!" Lufy shouted, more serious than Sanji had heard him since the fight with Krieg became physical. The cook snapped his attention back to Pearl, who was freaking the hell out about bleeding more, throwing out fireballs and raging around in general. Sanji was about to tell Luffy to worry about his own fight and that some pathetic cheap-shots wouldn't be enough to defeat him, but a giant morning star on a chain came hurtling through the air, effectively shattering his coherent words in favor of more colorful language.

The fire had grown higher and burned hotter than before, it seemed, reaching up and out enough to prevent easy escape. "Shit!" Sanji cursed under his breath. He was practically staring the huge, spiked ball in the face and then all of the sudden he wasn't.

"Gomu gomu no bazooka!" _I'm never going to get used to that..._

Luffy had eclipsed his sight, but he knew what happened. His friend, whom he'd known for innumerable years, deflected a giant metal morning star that was almost as big and certainly five times as heavy as his stringy body. Sanji had never known how he could do that and he doubted he would ever find out, but that inhuman ability of Luffy's had saved his life on more than one occasion.

"Thanks, Luffy," Sanji sighed, internally cursing his own reflexes for not reacting fast enough. A moment later, a horrid cracking sound and a tall tree trunk falling towards them made Sanji curse and temporarily set aside the thoughts of training when he and Luffy both jumped out of the way of danger quick enough that they weren't crushed to death.

"Haha, oops!" Luffy laughed as the tree trunk connected loudly with the top of Pearl's head, shaking the ground and knocking out Sanji's opponent. The branches, rather than catching fire, extinguished the flames upon impact.

Sanji huffed, slapping the dirt off his jacket. "I could have handled him by myself, you know," Sanji sniped, not really as sore as he was making himself out to be about Luffy defeating Pearl.

Luffy threw his head back and laughed, patting Sanji on the back. "Sorry about that, Sanji! It just kinda happened!"

"Yeah, well, whatever. You've got your own fight to finish, right?" Sanji asked coolly. He had half a mind to help Luffy, but with all the underlings waking up, he would have his plate mostly full. Besides that, he still had to figure out where Gin went after Pearl took over fighting Sanji.

As the cook started to kick away the pirates with enough gall to attack him, a shot rang out. It wasn't particularly loud or even close-sounding, but it made Sanji's blood run cold.

"That's enough, Sanji-san!" Gin's voice came to him from the edge of the clearing to the west. _Think of the devil..._

Sanji's cocky retort caught in his throat when he saw the silhouette of a gun aimed at the space between Nami and Usopp, keeping them from getting up off the ground. "What...?!"

"Guys!" Luffy balked, stopping mid-punch to stare at Gin and the weapon he had pointed at their friends. "You-! Let them go!"

"I'll only let your friends go if you stop this suicide mission and go home!" Gin called across the park, cocking his gun.

"Luffy," Sanji said through his teeth. The Captain turned to look at him, dangerous rage reflecting in his eyes. "I think I'm gonna kill him."

Clicking his tongue, Luffy said, "You don't want to do that, Sanji. It'll mess you up, you know that."

"Then, you won't have any problem with me beating his shitty ass to a bloody pulp?"

"Go for it," Luffy approved, grinning in a slightly malicious way that had all the surrounding pirates freezing.

**I was looking at my "total words archived" and I was like, "Fuck! I talk a LOT!" But, then I fucking thought about it. And I read all the "fuck"s and "shit"s and "fucking shit"s and I just went, "Well, fuck."**

**No relation to the chapter. Donuts.**


	24. Was zur Hölle?

**I know it's been forever, everyone, and I apologize. I have a cookie for you. *presents cookie***

**... Not good enough? Huh. Well, the chapter itself would more than make up for-... Not that either? Hm. How about my soul? That's all? Okay. Sign here - and, good. Hahahahah, you just got screwed, I don't have a soul! Mwahahah!**

**(btdubbs, chapter title means "What the hell?" You can than Ayara012 for that. xD)**

**Okay, you can just read now, I'm done being insane.**

Zoro hadn't done something like that in decades. Little things, sure. But, never more than one person and never when he was in less-than-optimal health. He was caught between guilt for doing it and pride for pulling it off. He was leaning towards pride, though.

The humans lay on the ground in a pile, dazed and not to wake up for at least half an hour. It hadn't exactly been part of the plan, not that there even was a plan, to make them forget. But, it wasn't his plan to be defeated either. Or to be carted off by two humans and be witnessed healing.

Zoro looked down at the still-gaping slash across his torso. His skin was pulling itself back together, hiding the muscle tissue and holding in the blood that refused to stop trickling. He wasn't sure what the humans had seen of his healing process, but they had missed the best part, in Zoro's opinion. Watching the skin sew itself back together and leave only a thin scar was one of the few things Zoro liked about being a demon.

The swordsman stumbled on his way back towards the clearing in the park that had become a battlezone, his eyes slipping closed every few seconds. His body was telling him he needed to rest, but the smell of human blood kept his feet moving, even if he could only walk slowly. It was a disturbing smell, one he'd memorized long, long ago that still made his stomach churn and that wasn't doing him any favors while he could still practically see his stomach. He couldn't say he missed the days of war when that smell was everywhere.

Sounds similar to if not exactly like explosions shook the ground and everything touching it, setting Zoro off balance. The smell of battle, the combination of sweat, blood and then gunpowder infected the air, rather than mingled with it. It was a dizzying scent when Zoro was still healing, especially when fused with the occasional tremor of a heavy impact or an explosion.

As Zoro navigated his way through the wooded area, he realized he didn't know how much time had passed. It was still light out, but that was his only clue. He hadn't thought to ask the humans how long he'd been out before he took away their short-term memory. He supposed it didn't matter how much time had passed as long as the humans were still alive and Mihawk was gone, but something in the back of his mind told him the time mattered.

"You-! Let them go!" Luffy's voice carried through to Zoro from a wide open place, he could tell. _So, they're still in the clearing,_ Zoro observed internally.

"I'll only let your friends go if you stop this suicide mission and go home!" _Friends...? But, I- Shit!_

The skin that had pulled itself back together tore as Zoro ran back to where he left Nami and Usopp. He came to the spot in the grass soaked with his blood, but the humans were nowhere in sight. They weren't able to wake up that quickly, he knew. They'd been taken. "Damn it!" Zoro hissed, catching fresh blood from his wound with an already red-stained hand.

"You have met The Hawk-eyes, I see," a very unwelcome voice observed in an almost amused tone.

"Don't mess with me, woman," Zoro threatened, raising his eyes to glare at Nico Robin. "Mind your own business."

Robin eyed Zoro's wound with a look of slight concern that didn't fit her face at all. "If I were truly allowed on this island, it would be my business. But, until such a time as that, I am satisfying my curiosity," she said, her mysterious smile making its inevitable appearance as she stepped towards Zoro.

"I'm tired of your bullshit, Robin. Get the hell out of here before I make you leave," Zoro ordered in a low voice, standing up straight and broad.

"In that state?" An arm appeared out of Zoro's right hip, reached over and pressed its fingers right into the center of Zoro's wound, drawing a pained gasp and a growled curse. Robin raised her eyebrows slightly, awaiting an argument she knew Zoro couldn't make. "Would you not be better off going to see Doctor-san?"

Zoro grabbed at Robin's spare arm, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Just shut up!" he grunted, carefully putting his hands over his injury so as not to hurt himself any further. "I have more important things to be doing!"

"Helping your humans?" Robin asked, crossing her arms delicately under her bust. "Are you really going to risk being discovered?"

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked testily.

"You don't remember? Not very long ago, you revealed yourself to have supernatural speed and strength," Robin reminded him, standing across the roughly two-foot puddle of blood from Zoro. "And, need I mention the fact that you were sliced open before their eyes and sustained critical if not fatal injuries?"

Zoro cursed under his breath, turning away from Robin. He hadn't thought of that. He hadn't even remembered until she'd mentioned it that the humans had been there to witness that. Even as brave as he was, Zoro wasn't sure he was brave enough to march out there as if nothing happened in front of humans he would, hopefully, be seeing again.

"What ever would you do without me?" Robin asked with a quiet laugh as she stepped around the puddle of blood and placed her hand on Zoro's left shoulder. "Come now, Swordsman-san. We've got an interesting show awaiting us."

oOo

"Sanji! Are you okay?!" Luffy's voice was warped and distant to Sanji's ears. The cook vaguely registered surprise at being able to hear at all, but it was in a foggy place that he couldn't quite access in his current state.

Blood dripped out of his nose and mouth like it was intended to do that. His head hurt like a bitch. Whenever he thought he was getting up straight, he would somehow collide with the ground again. Sanji was beyond disoriented, but he knew he had to try to get up, to fight. Coughing up more blood, Sanji answered, "I'll live."

His body listened with delayed movements as Sanji tried to stand. Across the field, he could see Nami and Usopp still lying on the ground silently at Gin's feet. Luffy was staring at him with concern in the midst of his own fight. Sanji didn't know what kind of messed up he must look like to keep Luffy from kicking Krieg's ass.

From somewhere behind him that he could not properly identify without looking, Pearl laughed. "Do you still think you can beat me? You can barely stand!" he shouted, clanging his fist shields together.

Those of Krieg's pirates that were awake and aware cheered for Pearl, claiming the Krieg pirates "couldn't be beat," though none of them made any move to join the fight.

"Don't be too sure," Sanji warned, wobbling slightly as he shifted his weight to his left foot. "I'm no pushover. My friends are depending on this battle and I'm not going to let them down."

"You've already lost! Why do you keep trying? Do you want to die?" Pearl interrogated with no small amount of amusement.

"If that's what it takes," Sanji answered nonchalantly. Luffy and Gin gawked at him and Kreig and Pearl laughed at him, but it was true. If the last thing he did was protect his friends, he could be at peace.

Luffy stepped closer to Sanji, frowning. "What are you talking about?! None of us are going to die, Sanji!" he shouted angrily. Normally Sanji would agree, but he couldn't find it in himself. He was confident, yes, but he felt a solemness somewhere inside him that didn't promise a happy ending.

Not wanting to anger his Captain further, Sanji just grinned. "That's exactly right." He hadn't sounded very enthusiastic, he could tell, but Luffy would chalk that up to blood loss.

"Hahah! Well, if you don't want your friends to die, you better not move!" Pearl shouted, lunging forward faster than Sanji was prepared to dodge and not a second later there was a resounding crack somewhere near his ear and he was flying through the air and then skidding through the dirt.

"Sanji!" The sound of his name echoed in his head as he pushed himself up on his hands before he could even see straight. He was pretty sure that was Luffy who called out to him, but a blinding pain in his cheek kept him from processing anything other than the pain itself.

Somehow he came to his feet again, at least a few yards from where he had been, further away from everyone he cared to be near. When he took a deep breath, he nearly choked on his own blood and doubled-over to cough up more blood than he thought he still had in his body. Frankly, Sanji was surprised he still had all his teeth. Glad, but surprised. Then it caught up to him that the most important thing at the moment was not, in fact, the presence and state of his teeth, and he had to refocus his mind.

Luffy started towards Pearl with balled fists, shouting, "Why, you-!"

"Don't get involved, Luffy! You've got your own battle!" Sanji interrupted, lurching forward unsteadily but forward nonetheless. "I won't be defeated so easily."

The Captain gritted his teeth, but he still backed away from Pearl and stood aside, keeping a close eye on Sanji. "None of us are going to die," he repeated, looking square at Sanji.

Sanji nodded. He wasn't trying to die, he really wasn't, but if he tried to defend himself it might be at Nami and Usopp's expense. It was quite a situation. They had always gotten themselves into difficult situations, but never one like this. The cook's eyes were drawn to his friends, who remained lying flat on the ground at Gin's feet. He hoped for Gin's sake that they were both alive and unharmed.

"Pearl... close!"

Sanji had just enough time to open his eyes wide before Pearl's fist shields slammed like cymbals on either side of his head. He must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his face in the burnt grass and the ground shook. Jumbled shouting voices reached his ringing ears, but he didn't know what they were saying. He turned his head to the side to breathe and he could see blurred people at the edge of the clearing and hear the distant shouting in just the one ear. Then a much closer shouting and he felt something big and hard land in the middle of his back. He couldn't say he'd ever broken his back before to know, but the only thing that made any sense right then was the feeling he could only describe as broken.

oOo

"You can't go to him. To them," Robin said in his ear. Zoro had never so seriously considered killing her as he did in that moment. "You would be completely compromising yourself in their eyes. And, perhaps, in the eyes of demons far above you and I."

"What is the point of this?" Zoro hissed venomously, gripping the hilt of his one remaining sword tightly.

Robin laughed quietly, her breath an unwelcome feeling on Zoro's bare shoulder. "Everything, Swordsman-san. This all should solidify my very important plans for the future."

"Stop speaking in circles!" Zoro snapped, his voice taking on the growly tone of the demon he tried to keep inside.

The raven-haired woman chuckled again, taking a half-step back from Zoro. "Don't you worry too much about it. You've done your part already, Swordsman-san. All you have to do now is wait."

"I will skin you, woman, if you don't tell me what the hell is going on," Zoro threatened. At the same moment, Luffy shouted from across the field as he punched the center of Krieg's shield and Zoro could swear he heard the tiniest crack.

"Well," Robin started, looking on with thoughtful eyes as Sanji stood and Luffy dodged what appeared to be cannon fire from Krieg's armor. "Judging only by what I've seen, I'd say what's going on is an invasion of the island by a malicious party. Perhaps, and this is only my opinion, Don Krieg-san is here to try and, shall we say, dethrone you."

Zoro turned his head towards Robin fully and frowned in confusion. "What? You think that guy wants my island? That's ridiculous."

"Is it? I seem to recall he was looking for the island's guardian. For you. And he brought with him a small army. It seems to me like the beginnings of a hostile takeover," Robin observed, raising an eyebrow at Zoro.

The swordsman turned his attention back to the battlefield, watching his humans fight off the demons whom, according to Robin's very reasonable observation, were only on the island to take it over. "Shit..." The humans, innocent children, had intercepted what may have otherwise been a great and unexpected danger to him and his island. Whether they knew it or not, even if he never admitted it to anyone at all, they may have just saved him.

"My, he's taken quite a beating. Don't you think, Swordsman-san?" Robin put her hand on Zoro's shoulder and nodded towards the field.

Luffy and Sanji were both in rough shape, but at least Luffy's opponent showed some sign of damage. The demon with the pearl shields, on the other hand, was looking a bit out of breath, but none the worse for wear. Zoro doubted Sanji could make it without help. He could smell a lot of Sanji's blood and it raised his hackles to know it was all outside of the cook's body. "Yeah. I should be out there helping him, not here-"

"Careful, there, you've started bleeding again," Robin mentioned casually.

Zoro looked down at himself and, indeed, his wound had begun dripping. He didn't much care, but he was getting a little dizzy from lack of blood, so he figured it was a good idea to calm the fuck down and heal before he jumped out into the middle of things.

"You could always have some of my energy, Swordsman-san," Robin said without looking at Zoro.

"Fuck you," Zoro spat, disgusted. "I'd sooner take energy from a human."

Robin laughed, perhaps more out of shock than humor. She leaned in very close to Zoro's ear and breathed, "Then, why don't you?"

Zoro whipped around to snap at the woman for, yet again, confusing the hell out of him, but she was already gone, leaving only a supernatural breeze behind her. The swordsman cursed her under his breath, putting a hand over his injury where it felt as if it had ripped open again.

In the clearing, Luffy was narrowly dodging a new weapon of Krieg's, a long spear with a large head. Zoro cringed at the closeness of the weapon to Luffy's flesh, mentally commending the human's flexibility. Then, Luffy tripped and fell on his ass and he couldn't get away from the spear coming down at him and upon impact there was an explosion that nearly knocked Zoro off his feet. It wasn't really that big, but he hadn't expected it and that was enough to throw him off his game in his current state.

"Aaaah!" Zoro's attention snapped over to the edge of the clearing furthest from him, where Sanji was skidding through the dirt with fresh blood pouring from his face.

His claws grew out again and his wound healed just a little bit faster. The humans would have been dead by then if they were normal. They weren't dead, no, and certainly that was a testament to their strength and endurance, but it still got to him. His humans were fighting his battle and they were nearly dead because of it. He had to do something.

The man with the pearl shields charged at Sanji again and Zoro braced himself to run, but the human who had been pointing a gun at Usopp and Nami darted forward impossibly fast for a human, holding a weapon Zoro hadn't seen in a century. Almost quicker than he could comprehend, the human, Gin, he thought, smashed one of his ball-tipped tonfa into the middle of the pearl shield covering the other demon's torso, shattering it completely.

Even though Sanji was safe because of that human, Zoro's nerves were on edge. He didn't trust that guy and he didn't want him near his Sanji. He wanted to charge out there and rip those demons apart, for hurting his humans and for invading his island. According to some older-than-dust rule, they weren't supposed to be allowed past the docks without the permission of the island's guardian. Though Zoro had let Chopper live on his island for a good ten years before giving permission and allows Robin to continue living on his island without permission, he felt it was a good time to reinforce that old custom.

_You could be completely compromising yourself in their eyes._ Robin's stupid, all-knowing voice plagued his mind. That woman was going to hell for many reasons, but lying, though Zoro could hardly think it, wasn't one of them. She knew what she was talking about and he really, really didn't want to conform to her expectations. He couldn't go out there, not when he was nearly half-healed.

Another explosion sounded across the way and Zoro's gaze flickered to Luffy, who hardly slowed down, even though Krieg's spear had exploded on him twice. Whatever the hell kind of creature Luffy was, Zoro hoped Sanji was the same. But, judging by the sluggish movements with which Sanji stood, he wasn't as durable.

The small shred of relief he'd gotten when Gin brought down the demon attacking Sanji died as Gin pointed his tonfa at Sanji and spouted some shit about honor and killing Sanji himself as if that made it okay. At least the cook was upright, but he was about as steady as the sea. He wasn't backing down, though, Zoro could hear him. He thought he could do it. _He's going to get himself killed._

Sanji put up a good show as he dodged a couple of swipes, but he'd backed himself up to the tree line. The cook's shoulder collided with a tree trunk audibly and Gin pinned him there with his tonfa pressed against Sanji's neck.

"Not bad," Sanji groaned, coughing and wiping the blood from his mouth with his dirty sleeve. "You were holding back last time." There was another explosion, then, that made Zoro's ears pop and masked whatever Gin said to Sanji that made him glare. "Yeah?" the cook questioned snarkily, raising a curly eyebrow and smirking. "What makes you so sure?"

"What-" Sanji interrupted Gin with a hard jerk of his knee to Gin's crotch, a shot that probably didn't take much calculation, such that the tonfa barring his neck slipped. Before Gin could recover, Sanji dropped down to a crouch and kicked up with more power than Zoro had seen him use yet. From where he was across the sizeable field from them, Zoro could hear Gin's teeth clack together loud and clear. He was thrown back quite a ways and Zoro had to blink a couple times to be sure he was seeing what his brain told him he was seeing.

Though he'd floundered with the shield man, Sanji seemed to have gained a second wind. Whatever had gotten into him, Zoro was damn thankful for it, even though he knew it could only last so long. Hopefully, that renewed strength would be enough to keep him alive.

Sanji waited for Gin to make the next move, hands in his pockets casually. He didn't have to wait long. The opposing human jumped up quickly, wiped away the stripe of blood from his nose and whirled both his tonfa around dangerously fast. Gin rushed at Sanji with his tonfa spinning like propellers and swung at him. The cook deftly avoided the attack, countering with his own quick strike to Gin's side with the toe of his dress shoe.

Gin absorbed the blow with a grunt, almost losing grip on his tonfa. He recovered quickly, though, and ducked under Sanji's next kick. He swung at Sanji again and the blond jumped away easily, getting himself further from the trees. Zoro released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, becoming more confident that his humans weren't going to die.

Closer to Zoro than he'd like, another explosion sounded and a dust cloud arose halfway across the field. Luffy skidded to a stop out of the dust cloud just beside Usopp and Nami, who remained unconscious on the ground._ Shit, they're not awake yet..._ Zoro facepalmed, lingering on an indecisive feeling as he surveyed the park. He wanted to stay and make sure Sanji and Luffy were okay, but the other two humans, who were passed out because of him, were lying there, completely unable to protect themselves.

"Damn it," he groaned, rubbing his temples with one hand and gripping his sword with the other. He would only be gone a second. Nothing irreversible could happen to Sanji and Luffy in only a second. Zoro glanced down at his wound, saw it was halfway scabbed over and zipped over to Usopp and Nami. From his new vantage point, Zoro peered out at the battlefield again as he picked up one human in either arm.

Luffy was charging right at Krieg, unafraid as the demon blathered on about how he was going to be Pirate King simply because he didn't play by the rules. Past them, fighting their way to the lake were Sanji and Gin, the cook holding his own in their dance-like skirmish. Deciding that, if only for the moment, things were stable enough for him to step away again, Zoro rapidly weaved through the trees and found a good place to leave the humans that he recognized as being very near his shrine.

"Kuh-!" An echoey cry, not much more than a gasp, sounded along with a muted crack and the blindingly pungent smell of blood polluted the air, only getting stronger and stronger. Zoro let loose every word he'd ever learned was even mildly insulting and shot back to the field, barely catching himself on a thick tree trunk to stop.

On the edge of the lake, Gin was sitting on Sanji's midsection with one tonfa pressing down tightly on the cook's neck, the other suspended over Gin's head, prepared to strike. Sanji glared up at Gin with his arms pinned above his head and Zoro cursed fate and her twisted sense of humor. If he hadn't thought that his humans were safe, Sanji wouldn't be captive to Gin, Zoro was sure.

"I'm sorry, Sanji-san," Gin apologized as though it would mean anything with his tonfa ready to crush Sanji's skull.

"I know it isn't your fault," Sanji grunted, wheezing in a breath. "You're just in too deep with the wrong people."

Zoro's eyes burned and his claws ached to rip the flesh from Gin's bones and throw his remains into the deepest ocean. Nothing was physically holding him back from doing it. He could. He was almost fully healed. He should. And Sanji shouldn't be forgiving that bastard. He didn't deserve that after hurting Sanji. When he was threatening to kill him. Demon energy coursed through Zoro as he prowled in the trees, making his way towards Gin and Sanji not at top speed, but not slowly, either.

"Krieg's making you do it, right?" Sanji asked, struggling against the pressure of the tonfa that kept him from moving. "I won't blame you." He was so goddamn calm. He shouldn't be. Not with explosions and demons and his impending death. He couldn't be calm, he wasn't allowed. Not by Zoro.

"I can't..."

Movement ceased on the other end of the battlefield and Zoro turned his eyes towards Luffy and Krieg, noticing that the opposing demon had paused with a furious look on his face. "What did you say?!"

"I can't kill this man!" Gin shouted, causing un uproar of "oooh"s from Krieg's underlings who were sticking to the treeline. "I have never in my life met anyone so forgiving! No one has been this nice to me before! I can't kill him, Don Krieg-san!"

"I gave you orders, Gin!" Krieg bellowed so loud it felt like he shook the ground. "Kill him NOW!"

"Sanji!" Luffy called out, emerging from his fighting mode.

Zoro snapped his attention back to Sanji so fast he felt a crack in his neck. The cook was staring up at Gin with wide eyes as the antagonistic human stood up and stepped away from him, tears pouring down his face. "I'm sorry, Krieg-san! I'm still loyal to you, I swear, but I cannot kill him! He doesn't deserve this! You can kill me if you want to, I know I've betrayed you, but I won't kill Sanji-san!"

During Gin's shouting, Sanji sat up and prepared to stand, staring in awe at Gin. Zoro still wanted to stab the living hell out of Gin, but a lot of that bloodlust disappeared when Sanji got up, no longer threatened by a ball-tipped tonfa looming over his head.

"You dare to defy me?!" Krieg spat, his face a picture of rage. Luffy and Sanji exchanged a look across the field when Gin dropped his tonfa on the ground by his feet. The demon pirate's expression darkened further and he leveled a fist at Gin. "If that's your decision, then you'll die for your betrayal! No one goes against my orders and lives!"

A shot was fired from under Krieg's arm guard and Zoro watched it as if it were moving in slow motion all the way up to its connection with Gin's right shoulder. Zoro didn't feel the least bit sorry about it, but Sanji looked horrified as a mist of Gin's blood sprayed his face.

oOo

Gin fell to the ground next to him and Sanji immediately began trying to help him. Blood poured from the through-and-through wound, but Sanji knew it wasn't lethal. Gin would live. Whether or not he felt he deserved it, Gin would live because he let Sanji live.

"You're going to be okay," Sanji told Gin, sacrificing his already bloody and dirt-covered jacket and wadding it up to put on Gin's wound. Even though it was doing its job nicely as far as he could see, Sanji felt like something was wrong. Perhaps not with Gin, but something.

Far behind him, Luffy shouted an indistinct cry that Sanji recognized as rage. He knew the battle would soon be over, then. It was one thing to pick a fight with Luffy, to make fun of his dream, but it was an entirely different, incredibly more serious matter to mess with nakama. Sanji had seen it once or twice before. Luffy went off the deep end on anyone who would hurt their own nakama. Worse yet, kill them. The chances of Krieg getting out of this uninjured just dropped to zero.

"It's alright, Sanji-san," Gin coughed, shooing Sanji's hands away and putting pressure on his wound himself. "Go help your friends. I'll be fine."

"Fuck, that's right," Sanji breathed, standing so quickly his head spun. He looked around the field for Nami and Usopp, but he didn't see them. Not anywhere. He scanned the semi-crowd of Krieg's pirates in case they were being held as hostages over there, but he didn't see them. "What the fuck...? Nami-san! Usopp!" Sanji called, hurriedly pacing towards the wooded area, in case they had decided to take cover there.

Before he was even halfway there, Sanji saw Luffy punch the smug smirk right off Krieg's face, knocking him to the ground with a crack that made Sanji shudder. Luffy looked up and locked eyes with Sanji, cracking his knuckles. "Go find the others. I've got this," he said, grinning his trademark grin without all the innocence it normally held. Sanji nodded and took off into the woods without a second thought about it.

"Nami-san! Usopp! Where are you?" Sanji called, hands cupped around his mouth as he did the closest thing to running he could manage with the stabbing pain in his back. He looked around every tree, growing more frantic the longer he searched. He hadn't paid attention to them after Gin started fighting him, since they were no longer in danger. He should have noticed, he should have paid more attention. They could be anywhere with anyone, maybe even in danger, and he hadn't even noticed they were gone until just minutes ago.

_Maybe they went to go see if Zoro is still okay,_ Sanji realized, slowing down a bit and looking around more calmly. He didn't know where they'd put Zoro, but he assumed it was close to the field, since he outweighed them both and they probably couldn't carry him far. Plus, he was bleeding. _My God, he was bleeding a lot..._

Sanji looked down at the grass and only had to glance around once to notice a blood trail. He limped slightly as he followed it and noticed smears and small puddles in places where Nami and Usopp must have set Zoro down to take a break. It went on for quite a while, surprising Sanji. He hadn't thought they would take Zoro that far, but they were probably scared as hell and hoping not to be caught by one of Krieg's men.

After several minutes of hobbling along beside the blood trail, Sanji reached a puddle of blood that made his stomach turn and his chest tighten. After what he'd left on the battlefield, what had dripped on the way there and what had been smeared on various greenery, Sanji didn't think that Zoro could still have lost all the blood that constituted that puddle. But, he had a feeling that no one else had bled into it. "Zoro!" Sanji called, stepping cautiously but quickly around the puddle of blood and stumbling along after a thin spatter trail branching off from it.

He ran through the trees doing his level best not to trip and fall as he called out for each of his friends in turn. The cook hadn't seen or heard anything to indicate they were close, but he had to keep looking, in case they were injured or unconscious or something like that. _Like that, but not worse... Not worse._

"Anyone! Zoro!" Sanji shouted, twisting around a tree trunk and nearly tripping on a rock. "Nami-san! Usopp!" His lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he refused to take a break, passing up tree after sturdy-looking tree. "Where are you?"

Sanji finally stopped when his legs gave out and he crashed to the ground, unable to move anymore. He took that opportunity to gulp in air like he'd never breathe again, then turned over onto his back and began swallowing air again. "Shit," Sanji hissed the second he felt like he could talk again. His heart was pounding a mile a minute and his mind was moving even faster, thinking of every scenario, probable or otherwise, that might have happened to his friends. "Shit!"

The cook pressed his palms to his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to still his mind and stop the stinging tears that threatened to fall. Suddenly, a branch snapped and Sanji was up off the ground faster than he'd ever been in his life, looking around desperately for any sign of his friends.

There was movement a few yards away that blurred behind a tree and Sanji followed it. When he got to the tree, there wasn't anything behind it, but there was movement elsewhere, so he kept going. It couldn't have been Nami or Usopp, he thought, because they wouldn't run from him. He was quite sure Zoro wasn't capable of running anymore, so even if the idiot would run from Sanji, he couldn't have. "Who's there?" Sanji asked, stumbling over a tree root and breaking into a sparsely wooded area.

Across from him, Nami and Usopp were in haphazard lumps on the ground and Sanji just about passed out from relief at seeing them, swaying backwards so dramatically that he couldn't catch himself.

But, he didn't hit the ground.

Someone caught him from behind, he realized, feeling very much not like he was lying on the ground and more like he was being held up in a trust exercise. "What...?" Sanji turned at the waist as best he could and blinked when he saw who caught him. "Z...oro?"

Zoro looked shocked, but Sanji didn't know why. Not immediately. Then he looked down at Zoro as he stepped away. Saw the injury. Not bleeding. Not even new. The wound that Sanji had watched him receive not an hour ago, the shoulder to hip diagonal slice that had sprayed a cloud of blood when it was inflicted, had completely scabbed over and was faded like he'd had it for years.

Sanji met Zoro's wide eyes with even wider eyes. "What... the hell?"

**I'm fairly certain that was evil. Fairly.**


	25. Du weckst den Dämon in mir

**Been, what? Like, 2 weeks? That's not too bad, considering it's me. xDDx So yeah. Left you guys hanging (as per usual) and now I'm fixing it/throwing oil on the flame. I guess you'll just have to read and see, now won't you? *smug face***

_"What... the hell?"_

He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have. Stupid. _Stupid_ move. It was so sloppy. He was too good, too _experienced_, to do something like that. He'd just completely outed himself, plain and simple, and then the world stopped turning. Standing in the presence of not just one, but three, humans who had all seen better days, Zoro was frozen. Just standing there, in all his rapidly healed glory, holding the cook, a human, by the shoulders. _Comical, almost, if it weren't me and him..._

He tried to move, but he couldn't. And, he couldn't say anything either. All he could do was wait. Anxiously. For Sanji to react beyond a slack jaw and a blank face. He would hope, yes, but he didn't expect it to be good. Or gentle. Honestly, if the silence dragged out any longer, he didn't even expect any reaction at all. He couldn't decide if it was better that way. Not until it was too late.

"I don't... What?" Sani stuttered, pausing and reaching out to the aged scar that should have been a fresh wound. His fingers shook horribly as they brushed the corner of the diagonal scar on Zoro's shoulder. "Is this some kind of trick? How...?"

Zoro couldn't move away from him, not even if he wanted to. He couldn't access that power inside himself that would wipe the cook's memory and save his own ass. It just wasn't coming to him. Despite the fact that his internal voice was repeating _ohshitohshitohshit_, Zoro didn't believe he was even thinking anymore. Or breathing. Was he breathing? It might be better if he remembered to do that.

Clammy, trembling fingers traced his scar slowly, disbelieving eyes following all the way down to his hip where the slightly indented stripe marring his skin ended. Words were coming back to Zoro in foggy blips of thought and he was almost sure he'd said something to Sanji, but the cook didn't react, so he mustn't have. Probably better he didn't. He could make it worse.

"You..." Sanji started again, pulling his hand back rather quickly. "How did you do that? Was that- was that staged?" The cook's eyebrows furrowed together over his wide eyes as he spoke.

He might have choked a little. He felt like he choked. "I-I... this is- wh-what it looks like, I-" The demon tripped over his words, looking Sanji straight in the eyes. He could practically see the wheels turning in Sanji's mind. Too much longer and the phenomenon of his rapid recovery would be converted to long-term memory. He wouldn't be able to erase it as easily. Sani would remember everything if he didn't act fast. "I- this happened years ago," Zoro lied, pointing to his chest with one hand and leaving his other hand on the cook's arm.

"Then what was with that-" He paused for a moment, appalled before he even said the words. "With all that blood? Were you just pretending?" Sanji looked sick to his stomach, likely remembering the event in question.

"No!" Zoro answered quickly. "No, that-" _How do I explain this?!_ "I wasn't pretending!"

"Really? Then, what was that?" Sanji asked, taking a wide step back. "Because, I don't understand. Did you just chicken out of your fight? Was that weird guy with the hat in on this little illusion?"

"Of course not! I'm not a coward! I wouldn't do that!" Zoro defended himself, gesturing a bit too violently for his still-sore injury. "I never run away from a fight!"

"Then what? There's no way you got that today! There's blood all over you, but no open wound! What the hell am I supposed to think?" Sanji shouted, sounding just a little eccentric. "The only explanation is you faked it!"

_Shit, he's one of the worldly ones..._ "No, that's not the only explanation! I healed! Is that too hard to believe?" He shouldn't have said that. Before becoming guardian of the island, he'd been told that some humans just couldn't wrap their heads around the idea of demons and that, when faced with the reality of their existence, those who couldn't understand it either had a massive aneurysm in their brain, or they went crazy. For that reason, demons were not allowed to tell humans about the species living right under their noses.

Sanji's face was blank again, devoid of the anger and confusion it had held moments ago. One second. Two seconds. Five seconds. Five minutes. How long? He didn't know. He tried to count, but it didn't work. Why couldn't he do anything? "C... come again?" Sanji questioned quietly.

Against his wishes, Zoro's mouth kept moving. "I said I healed. I... do that. I, uh, heal good."

The cook recoiled away from him, insulted. "How stupid do you think I am?" he asked incredulously. Zoro noticed the human was holding his side and breathing heavily. Bad signs. "That isn't possible, asshole!"

"It is!" He cursed his mouth and whatever on earth had decided his words should come back _right then_. "You can't, of course, but I can do it. I heal quickly like that all the time."

Taking unsteady steps towards the other humans, Sanji said, "You're crazy! And, if you argue that you aren't again, then you're a fucking liar, too!"

A feeling he likened to a switch being flipped appeared briefly inside him and Zoro found himself standing in front of Sanji, blocking his way. "You can call me crazy all you want, but I am no liar. I'm telling the truth, shit-brow. I don't know why, but I am." He did it again. That talking without meaning to thing. Shit. He should just walk Sanji to the insane asylum himself.

"Then, how? Explain it to me, Marimo, I implore you," Sanji demanded in a firmer voice than he ought to have with his ghostly pale, mystified and scared face. Zoro could hear his heart pounding painfully hard. "If there is any reasonable explanation for this, any at all, then I must be the crazy one. Seeing things or some shit."

Zoro was vaguely aware that he'd gripped the human's arms tightly. "You are not crazy. You're not _going_ crazy and you're _not_ going to have an aneurysm, do you understand me?" He felt the heat behind his eyes that signified resistance. His mind powers weren't working. He hoped to God that they weren't working because Sanji was resisting, not because he couldn't do it.

"Aneu- The fuck?! Of course not, bastard!" Sanji snapped, batting Zoro's hands away with a pathetic strength that didn't match his fiery attitude. "You're insane!"

"Listen to me, Sanji! I'm not crazy, you're not crazy, neither of us are crazy, understand? None of this happened. You never encountered me, you have no idea where your friends took me. Your friends told you my wound wasn't as bad as it looked and when you next see me, it'll be nothing but a scar and that will be completely normal, do you understand?" It didn't feel right. As far as whether it was working or not, it felt just fine, but morally it felt wrong.

The cook had a dazed look on his face, completely zoned out on the magic words Zoro was speaking. "I understand..." he mumbled.

The demon's chest tightened painfully. He hated it. Hated. He didn't think he could do it, even though he already had. He couldn't handle it. He wasn't supposed to do that. Not to Sanji. It wasn't right at all.

Suddenly, a light came back to Sanji's eyes and he shook once all over violently. He looked around shakily for a long few seconds and finally turned his head back to look at Zoro. He seemed to have trouble forming words for a moment before his voice finally came out, quiet and wavering. "What ju-ust happened?" Sanji asked, coughing in the middle. Before Zoro could answer, confusion was flooded with revelation in Sanji's eyes and he gasped. "What the hell was that?!" the cook shouted, his voice going up at the end.

Zoro had thought it was bad before. He'd thought the only thing worse than Sanji's previous reaction would be an aneurysm. But the atmosphere became so very much worse just then. Sanji stumbled back away from him, caught between rage and fear in such a way that Zoro couldn't see which was winning out. "The fuck was that?!" Sanji screamed, clutching his own hair and losing his balance a bit. "Some kind of mind control?! Fucking _shit!_"

"Calm down! Stop shouting, idiot," Zoro ordered, taking a single step towards Sanji, but stopping when he saw the cook automatically take a few more stumbling steps backwards. It had been a long time since anyone last recalled their memory being bent and even longer since it happened before the bending had even finished. Though he believed at the time that he'd never forget something like that, Zoro couldn't remember how to, or even if he could, make a human calm down. "It's alright- Seriously, I'm not trying to-"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell _up!_" Sanji snapped, pacing swiftly in a ten-foot line back and forth. He muttered to himself about "unholy" and "fucking mind control" and he held his forehead with his left hand, occupying the other with holding in whatever he thought might be out of place in his ribcage. Turning on his heel to face Zoro, Sanji shouted, "What the fuck _are_ you?"

The first thought to swim its way coherently through Zoro's frantic mind after Sanji asked that was _finally, the right question!_ He didn't know if he would answer it, if he _could_ answer it, but that's what Sanji needed to ask all along. Inquiries about whether Zoro was crazy or faked the injury were all completely off-base, Zoro realized, and that's why he couldn't handle it earlier. He didn't know how to answer all the wrong questions, but "what are you" was different. He knew exactly how to answer that. He just didn't know if Sanji would accept his answer.

"Well?" Sanji goaded impatiently. "I'm waiting!"

Taking a deep breath and preparing himself for the renewed verbal-assault of "you're crazy"s he expected to get, Zoro answered quietly, "A demon. I'm a demon, Sanji."

Oh, God. The words tasted strange coming off his tongue. He was almost certain he'd never said the words out loud, let alone to a human. He was feeling a little shell-shocked about it now that he'd said it. Zoro had never thought to ask anyone of his species, but right then he wondered if demons had time-travel powers so he could go back and un-say his foolish confession.

"-elieve that!" Sanji shouted, sounding to Zoro like he'd just started talking there, but looking like he was out of breath and expecting an answer.

Zoro mentally cursed himself for getting trapped in his own head. "Wh... what? I don't-" He wasn't quite sure how to say he wasn't listening when Sanji probably just yelled at him about being crazy again. "What are you saying?" Zoro tried, hoping the question made even a bit of sense with what Sanji said.

The cook adopted a kind of incredulous look, standing closer to Usopp and Nami than to Zoro. His mouth fell open just a bit and that was Zoro's first clue that he'd said something wrong. Sanji took long strides towards him. That was his second clue. Probably the biggest clue was the cook throwing a powerful kick at his head.

"Whoa!" Zoro couldn't help the shout and the curse that followed as he ducked under Sanji's attack. "What the-"

"_This_ is what I'm saying! You fucking _lied_ to us!" Sanji snapped, flinching slightly as he threw another kick. "It's completely and utterly wrong that I believe _that_, but it makes shitty sense and that just makes it worse!"

Zoro caught his foot and Sanji doubled over, clutching his middle and coughing up blood. "I didn't lie about anything, cook," he said in a long shot attempt at getting Sani to listen. "Calm down before you hurt yourself! It's good you believe me, but-"

"'But' nothing! It's terrible that I believe you, bastard! Everything you've said has been ludicrous and unbelievable, but I understand all that weird, stupid shit now!" Sanji pushed away from Zoro violently, knocking himself off balance. "That shitty journal and everything... I thought it was strange the way you randomly show up and the way you act, but this... So fucking stupid of me to believe it, goddamn-!" The cook ran his hands through his own hair roughly and let out a stream of curses mixed with a thought process Zoro couldn't understand. All the swordsman caught was that Sanji believed him.

Somehow in Zoro's mind, clouded with a mysterious joy, he found the need to say, "You'll hurt yourself if you keep freaking out like that." His tone was passive and his demeanor moreso, and Sanji's eyes snapped up to look at him.

"Excuse me? _I'll_ hurt myself?" Sanji jeered, slapping a hand to his chest with a smack. "What about you, huh? A _demon_ bastard with hell on his heels! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before, nothing where our opponents called us 'humans!'" Sanji shouted, startling at the end and looking off somewhere with shocked, thoughtful eyes. "They did. That means they were... Oh, God," Sanji mumbled to himself with a nauseated expression.

"I didn't cause this," Zoro told him calmly, trying not to shout. He didn't want to alarm the cook beyond his current state of shock, but it was difficult to remain so level-headed when something that had presented itself to him as a good thing was taking a tail-spin. "You have to believe that. I didn't want you, any of you, to get hurt! I had no idea those demon pirates were gonna be here, I swear."

Sanji half-glared, half-gawked at Zoro. The swordsman couldn't tell what was going through his head, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that told him it wasn't good. It wasn't supposed to go like that. He couldn't take much more misfortune in one day. "I don't _have_ to believe anything. I've bought into this 'demon' thing, I don't _have_ to believe you're innocent," Sanji said, his voice lowered dangerously. "I don't _have_ to believe a single word you say! Ever since you showed up, strange crap has been happening, unimportant little things, I thought, until they all led up to this! We've been in fights before, loads of them, but none so strange or bloody as this. And _that's_ on you."

His cool was going down the drain. "What part of that is my fault? Who's to say that asshole human wouldn't have picked a fight with you anyway, even if I weren't around?" Zoro asked, attempting to exonerate himself in the cook's eyes. After what Robin said, he wasn't sure he believed that it wasn't his fault that Krieg bastard was on his island, attacking his humans.

"I don't- Wait a second, you were _there_?!"

_Shit..._ "I didn't... say that," Zoro grunted, avoiding the cook's eyes at all costs.

"You may as well have! How else would you know that Gin challenged me? The only answer is that you were at the school when it happened!" Sanji shouted, striking a low shot at Zoro's legs and tripping him. "Have you been following us?!"

Damn it. Around every turn, he was digging a deeper hole for himself. "No, I don't do that, I-I'm not some crazy stalker!" _Though I basically live on your roof..._ "I just- I heard it! During the fight, I heard-"

"You weren't there either! You fought that feather-cap swordsman and then- fuck, I don't even know what! You hit the ground and Nami and Usopp took you away from the field! The fight hadn't even started, we had barely exchanged words with Krieg and his minions before you were taken away, how could you have heard that?!"

Sanji had him backed into a corner, almost literally, as the cook stood and glared down at him with the face of someone who doesn't trust, let alone believe. "You have been following us around, haven't you? Un-fucking-believable! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I wasn't following you guys, I was just passing by-"

"Passing by where? The school? The park? Some random, green-haired asshole roaming around town and coincidentally running into us in several places? I don't fucking think so!" Sanji spat, kicking Zoro hard in the ribs and sending him rolling a few yards away from Usopp and Nami. The cook stalked over to his unconscious friends and put Nami over his shoulder gently and then grabbed Usopp around the waist like a sack of potatoes. "You are nothing but bad news, shitty Marimo. If I see you even come near my friends again, I will kick your ass."

Zoro coughed, feeling something bruise inside him where Sanji's foot had connected. "I didn't do this!" he told Sanji loudly. "I have nothing to do with those pirates! And, if I hadn't followed you, then maybe-" he came up short. If he hadn't followed Sanji's scent, then, what? What would have been different? Because, Mihawk wouldn't have intervened if Zoro hadn't butted in, and Nami and Usopp would have been conscious and able to help. Things would only have been better if he hadn't shown up. The island's voice wasn't technically wrong about the human blood being shed part, but he hadn't saved anyone. He had only put them in more danger.

"Shut the hell up! I thought you were a suspicious bastard before, but this? This is too much. I can't even-" Sanji shook his head, unable to bring forth the words to say what he meant to say. He leveled a piercing glare at Zoro and inclined his head slightly, showing absolute seriousness. "As of this moment, you are no longer friends with Luffy, Nami-san, Usopp and me." With that, Sanji walked off without looking back and Zoro felt sick in every part of his body. Things were not supposed to go like that. Not with Sanji.

oOo

Sanji couldn't recall much right away. When his eyes opened, he was simply himself in his bed, waking up after a shitty night's sleep. But, then he looked at the clock and saw that it was two-seventeen in the afternoon. In the process of looking at the clock, just before he started to get worked up, the pains in his body from his head to his toes, skin to bone, all came back to him. He cringed away from the pain, but it only hurt worse. He tried to sit up and his back promptly screamed. Then, as he lay himself back down carefully, the memories came back.

The fight with Krieg, Gin and Pearl. The violence that _preceded_ the fight. Injuries. Revelations. Blood. Everything came flooding back to him in disheveled order. Not the worst thing to have back first was a hazy recollection of Luffy walking up to him after his own fight ended. Sanji could hardly remember Luffy's action-packed narrative of the outcome of his fight, but that was fine by him; the important part was that he won.

One of the first few things to come back to Sanji was a painful memory of almost tripping over Chopper with Nami slung over his shoulder and Usopp hanging like a ragdoll at his hip. He remembered putting them down, maybe upon Chopper's request, maybe because he couldn't feel his body anymore. The boy with a blue nose had been conveniently carrying a medical bag and Sanji recalled insisting that he help Nami and Usopp while the little doctor kept saying that Sanji needed immediate medical attention. Somehow connected to that snippet was the memory of Luffy walking up to him, only he asked if everyone was okay before launching into his account of his fight with Krieg.

Sanji could remember Chopper wrapping him in bandages and gauze, rattling off in his adorably high voice about things that were supposed to be reprimanding. They just went in one ear and out the other. He was more focused on an emotion that he couldn't name at the time and still couldn't quite place. And the pain. Everywhere. Chopper had listed several of Sanji's major injuries that he'd treated, but the cook couldn't remember all of them. Six broken ribs, fractured hip bone, something or other about bleeding. If Chopper had been reciting the names of Santa's reindeer, it would have been about the same to Sanji.

Among the whirlpool of events spinning around in his head, Sanji saw Zoro. _Zoro_. What was it that had to do with him? Sanji started to remember that Zoro was injured, but his mind corrected him. Zoro was fine. How was Zoro fine? How could anyone be fine after being practically slashed in half? But, he was okay. Sanji remembered that. Zoro was okay. Zoro was _okay_? Yeah. Zoro was completely... Sanji's though train came to a screeching halt and he tried his very best to keep away the memories he'd been trying to access that explained why Zoro was okay. He didn't want to know. He took it back. He didn't need to remember it.

But, the words didn't go away. The thoughts and images, they were all there. He could hear it, see it, feel it, hell, he could _smell_ it. Why was he so unfortunate? He shouldn't have remembered. It would have been so much better. It wouldn't disappear completely, not ever, but he wished he wasn't faced with it so soon. He didn't have the necessary willpower and stability of mind and body to handle it. He didn't even have that when he first received the information. His life would look so much brighter if he could just expel that thought. But, it lingered still.

_Zoro's a demon._

**:O Kidding, I knew that already. So, what does this mean? Will Zoro stay away? What will become of the Mugiwara crew without their Marimo? Why is this sounding more and more like the closing line of a shoujo drama?!**


	26. Ich bin so verwirrt

**The title translates to "I am so confused." xD My exact state when I tried to name it.**

She'd completely stopped keeping up with the time that had been passing halfway through her third century alive, but she couldn't help herself this time. Zoro's magnetic presence crackled and quivered in the air from all the way across the island for two days, coming up on three, she had observed. She'd known something like that would happen; at least, that had been her suspicion. And, when it came to the utterly predictable island protector Roronoa Zoro, her suspicions were almost always confirmed as true. In fact, when it came to most things, Robin was usually right.

From her sheltered perch near the top of an old tree closer to the middle of the island than she'd been in a long time, Robin watched the demon. Though he repeatedly denied her access to the holy grounds of his island and told her to leave or go to hell, he did not seem much in the mood to keep up sentry duty. As she watched Zoro tear apart an undeserving boulder with quick flashes of his borrowed blades, she couldn't help but crack a smile. He'd been releasing his aggression in a steady, vicious stream since that pack of demons, lowlifes, really, had attacked the island. Needless to say, it interested her.

It was a startling sight, even for one so old as herself. She had wondered in a few of her down moments why Zoro wasn't higher up the ranks. Of course, she was an informed enough woman to know all the qualifications for a higher position than guardian of a small island. She knew Zoro wasn't political enough or ambitious enough in that respect, but he had the strength to do it. The intelligence, too, if he tried. But, despite all his ability, that was not who Zoro was and it never had been.

Still, she watched. Perhaps there was no way it would benefit her, but she wanted Zoro to realize his full potential. To be stronger. And that was what he wanted as well. That made him easier to work with, despite his suspicions about her. He would not intentionally hinder anyone who was only trying to help, Robin believed.

In the distance, a large chunk of smooth gray rock landed on the shoreline with a dull thud and a limited but loud splash. His latest victim had met a sandy end. Robin chuckled to herself and jumped down from her limb. She landed a substantial distance from her starting point without a sound and, even though she was still very far away from where Zoro was, she could hear him. She could tell he'd noticed her.

The air was still for an extended moment and then she heard him snarl and he was in front of her. Had she been a few centuries younger, she might have flinched when he appeared quite suddenly nose-to-nose with her, roaring so loud the whole island shook. But she didn't flinch; she didn't even blink. The wind blew furiously around them and the tips of two swords pricked either side of her ribcage drawing two identical beads of blood, but she did not flinch.

"I see you're in a good mood," Robin observed, smiling at his enraged face.

In a voice so unlike his own, Zoro growled, "I will _kill_ you." Robin could only raise her eyebrows in a delicate, questioning manner. "You did this, I know you did!" Zoro bellowed in her face and Robin turned her head slightly to avoid being spat upon.

"And what, may I ask, has got you so riled up, Swordsman-san?" Robin kept her face turned away, but she watched Zoro out of the corner of her eye. She could take a hundred guesses at what was angering him so much and each guess in its own way would be right, she knew him that well, but she was almost certain that this anger was fresh.

"You know damn well what!" Zoro roared and birds all around them screeched and scattered, bumping into branches in their panic. "All of this is your fault!"

Very interesting. "All of what? I do get around in a day, Swordsman-san, I mayn't remember in what way I have wronged you this time."

Zoro snarled loudly again and the dark expression on his face grew darker as he bared his teeth at her. A flicker of fear tainted one or two of Robin's heartbeats, but it was gone again in a blink. She could beat Zoro easily and she knew that, but she hadn't seen him so upset in over two hundred years, if she was calculating correctly. It was an impulse for anyone and anything to be afraid of an irate demon, however illogical it seemed to her that she should fear Zoro.

Perhaps unwisely, Robin decided to make a conclusion aloud, one she already knew, true or otherwise, would ruffle Zoro's feathers. "You know," she began, taking a somewhat indirect approach as she often did. "I haven't seen you this upset since... Around the middle of your existence. More specifically, about a certain-"

"Shut up." His voice was quiet, more like his normal voice, but nonetheless full of the same bubbling anger. "I won't have you talking about that time. It's completely unrelated and it's way out of line."

He was still very sore about that time, but that wasn't his current source of murderous rage. More interesting still. "Oh, I hardly have a choice but to mention that time since I haven't any idea what you're smoldering about," Robin told him, feeling the cold bite of steel pressing further into her sides. That phantom fear flickered again as her favorite lavender button-up was tainted by her own blood.

"You knew this would happen, this fight. I know you did," Zoro accused, glaring right into her eyes. Lighter colors swam in his dark eyes, a strange collage of dangerous things reflecting there, beautiful things. Despite his temper, Robin smiled.

Temptation, the bitter wench, seemed to be conquering her, Robin observed the moment before she spoke. "And what if I had?" she asked, quirking a brow. "What would you do?"

In a movement so fast it rivaled her own speed, Zoro scraped his swords all the way around Robin's torso from their starting points at her sides, making a nearly one-inch deep cut that hardly hurt but gushed blood. His swords met evenly just under Robin's navel and he sneered. "Don't test me, woman. My conscience wouldn't bother me for a minute if I killed you," Zoro hissed.

"Wouldn't it? You keep threatening me like that, but I don't think you've ever once tried to kill me," Robin told him. In truth, she couldn't recall him making a serious attempt on her life, but there had always been somebody else to blame, somebody who had done him wrong, and he had no proper reason to fight her, let alone kill her. There were no such hang-ups in this situation, even though Robin had not directly done anything. She was the only person handy to take the blame.

His snarl ripped through the air and made her ears ring, a purely animal sound that seemed to quiet nature around them. "You really shouldn't push your luck," he roared in her face, pressing one sword across her throat and the other into her wound, keeping it from healing. "Now since I'm feeling merciful today-" He raised his eyebrows significantly, stressing "merciful" heavily. "I'll give you a chance, just one chance, to explain yourself. If you had nothing to do with this, you _might_ be safe for today."

Pity. She wanted to know what he would do if she were guilty of his particular grievance, but she still didn't have enough of a handle on it to push all the right buttons. It appeared she would have to tell the truth. "If I'm to be honest-"

"You are," Zoro interrupted with a hard glare.

Robin nodded once, ignoring the nick that motion created on her neck with Zoro's sword. "Then, I shall be. I had no hand in the appearance of those weaklings, though they provided a good source of entertainment while they were here. Do you know not a single one of them was killed?"

The swordsman narrowed his eyes at her and bared his teeth again. "You had absolutely nothing to do with that?" he asked in a growly tone that made Robin chuckle. "What about Hawk Eyes? Did you call him here?"

"Is he really who you wanted to ask me about?" Robin asked, smirking to reflect a knowledge that she didn't entirely have. Of course, she also tried to mask her lack of knowledge about Dracule Mihawk's visit to the island. She would make inquiries about that later.

Zoro faltered, but he didn't look surprised. That was intriguing. He predicted she would ask something like that. _How smart of him_. "You are in no place to ask questions, Robin," the younger demon sneered, pressing his sword harder against Robin's neck for emphasis.

"Oh?" Robin tried her best not to sound amused, but messing with Zoro had always been a weakness of hers. "Well, if you're so dead set on killing me, and I can tell that you want to, I may not get another chance to ask questions. I'm hurt that you'd do that to me, Swordsman-san."

"Sure you are." Pain was starting to register in Robin's mind, an unwelcome sensation, just when she was having fun. Zoro gave Robin a very serious look, without growling or snarling or baring his teeth at all. "You really had nothing to do with the _convenient_ appearance of the Krieg pirates?" he asked slowly, in a more normal, but still threatening voice.

Heaving a sigh, Robin summoned four extra arms, two from her shoulders and two from her hips, and pushed Zoro's swords back a bit with some effort. "Sadly, no," she answered, tentatively placing one of her original hands over the small stream of blood dripping down her neck. "I don't know what made these young ones think they would successfully invade your island. It was a foolish scheme and destined to fail."

"But, the island-!" Zoro snapped his mouth shut with an audible clack and roughly unsheathed his swords from Robin's grip. He took a few deep breaths and, of all things, paced back and forth like a distressed human. _Too cute_. "Then-" Zoro spun on his heel and darted back up to her. "If you had nothing to do with it, how come you knew about them? Why didn't you help fight them off? You could have helped h-those humans!"

She was growing agitated with the interrogation thing. "I've been around a very long time, Roronoa Zoro, it is not hard for me to figure things out," she told him, scolding if she ever had. "I sensed them, smelled battle and blood and I came to see what the commotion was about. I'd heard in previous months about a nobody demon with an army of misguided humans trying to overthrow more honorable demons and take their land, so I posed that suggestion. Pardon me for trying to _help_."

Where he was supposed to pause and realize how she had helped him by telling him of the danger he had been in, Zoro glared at her. "You are here without my permission and you have no obligation to assist me. How am I supposed to believe anything you say?"

"Why would you ask, then?" Robin questioned, sprouting more arms from the tree a few inches behind her and forming to larger arms with at least a dozen each. She pushed at Zoro's shoulders with her unattached arms and he hardly budged. "If you don't trust me, why question me at all? Why let me stay on this island? Let me live?"

Had she been speaking to anyone else, Robin would have been preparing to save herself once those revelations hit whomever she was talking to, but she did not believe Zoro would kill her. His mind was otherwise occupied, she could tell, and he had never been one to kill. Especially since he'd grown closer to humans as a race. It was a change she would have to study closely a while longer to understand.

"Because you have answers. At least, I thought you did." Zoro took a step back from her and she let out a tense sigh. "But, if you don't know anything about those pirates or about Mihawk, I have no use of you."

"I already told you what I know," Robin told him. "They're most likely the amateur thieves from the East. And, Hawk Eyes-san is much higher up than I and none too friendly. I would not call him to my location."

"Somehow, I still don't believe you." Zoro reclaimed the space between them, holding his swords stiffly at his sides. "You used to have so much integrity, Robin. I used to trust you, but I can't now. I think you're lying to me and I don't even know why I think that."

Well, that was peculiar. All of his sharp moments had been oddly-timed and that one was no different. It almost seemed like he was trying to inconvenience her with his random bursts of intelligence. Dumb or smart, he needed to make up his mind so she could figure him out. "I am not lying about this matter. In all honesty, Swordsman-san, after nearly a decade of trying to earn permission to be on your island, it would not be a wise thing for me to ruin it by having your island invaded and then lying about it. Do you think I am not wise?"

Zoro raised his head slightly, considering it. He didn't take very long to come to a conclusion and he stepped away again. "That's a good point," he admitted, sheathing his swords cautiously. He looked wary of her, unsure if he could trust her still, it seemed. "You aren't stupid enough to mix with those Weichlinge*, even I can trust that much... But, I don't want you here. Not-"

"Near the humans I introduced you to? Oh, certainly not," Robin interrupted with a smirk.

"Shut up, woman," Zoro snapped. "That's not what I was going to say."

"Of course. Do continue, but I have somewhere to be soon," she told him, if only just to see that suspicious glimmer in his eyes that gave her a glimpse of the keen mind through his brash exterior. "Just so you remember, I am innocent of your accusations and I am only trying to help. That about sums up our conversation thus far, does it not?"

Narrowing his eyes at her, the younger demon scoffed. "You forgot the part where I still don't fucking trust you."

"Yes, forgive me," Robin said flatly, wiping away the blood from her fully healed neck. "This was one of my favorite shirts. You owe me a new one."

"I don't owe you shit," Zoro countered quickly, switching to the offensive again. He was always so ready to defend himself with a vulgar attitude and swift sword skills, but she wouldn't bait him this time. There was enough blood on her shirt already.

Shrugging, Robin took a few slow steps to her left. "Alright, then. I have a job to get to and some errands to run, so if you don't mind..."

"I do mind." Zoro was up in her face again, not that she was bothered much, but it was a little disconcerting. "I mind so damn much that you still live here despite all I've said to you and I mind that you seem to be doing something illegal, something that could be punished severely, right under my nose, and I mind that you seem to want to involve innocent humans in your act of injustice," Zoro hissed so rapidly and quietly that Robin had a bit of trouble keeping up. "I don't have any grounds to kick you the hell off my island right now, but one more incident like that a few days ago, one single toe out of line on your part, _especially_ concerning the humans and you will be banished so fast you'd think you were a human yourself."

That dark, fierce look in his eyes was so deadly serious, so passionately enraged, that she found herself reining in the remarks at the end of her tongue. She wanted to say something about how attached he'd grown to the humans, but she was absolutely sure he would not react pleasantly. "...Fine. I will do my best to behave myself." She backed down a step, submitting to an equal, if not an underling. It would be humiliating if she had not known Zoro for so long. "In any case, my intentions for the day are without malice. I am only doing mundane things this day."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Zoro told her in a flat, belligerent tone.

What an interesting idea. "Oh, are you going to follow me? Perfect," Robin purred with a smirk. Before Zoro could ask her what she meant, and she knew that he would, she took off towards her work. She would have to work for a while so he could work up his nerve and track her down, then she could run her "errand."

oOo

Being back at work, in the kitchen with all the shouting of insults and orders in equal parts, being a part of the flow of normal life almost made it feel like it had never happened. But, it had. It was there in the corners of his mind all day and those events became front and center in his mind when he went to sleep. Sometimes he relived the exchange in his waking hours, he could handle that well enough, but the embellishments of his subconscious mind were too much for him.

Even thinking about those dreams, _nightmares_, had him so agitated, scared, even, that he couldn't work. Sanji laid his palms flat on the counter before him and hung his head between hunched shoulders for a moment. Breathe in once, eyes closed, out, eyes open. His mind was cleared temporarily of any and all things supernatural. God, that word screwed with him so bad. _Maybe "absolutely insane and totally didn't happen" would be better,_ he thought with a snort. It was definitely a start towards a sound mind, but he wasn't so sure it helped.

"Oi, brat!" Patty's ugly mug popped in through the doors to the dining area. "That annoying group of snotty punks and those two pretty ladies are askin' for ya!"

"Thanks, asshole. Then, you can have this no dairy, no carrots, no celery soup order for table six. Those picky fuckers can settle for your cooking," Sanji insulted with a smirk as he passed around the island workspace and exited the kitchen. Patty cursed and spat behind him, but once the kitchen doors swung shut he couldn't hear a thing except the chatter of patrons.

He spotted his friends sitting at a window table, a table for four where they usually sat, with a fifth chair pulled over at the end and two unexpected occupants. "Sanji, come here! Looks who's visiting!" Luffy shouted excitedly across the room while Usopp called something similar at a lower volume.

"I can see," Sanji said, amazed. "Robin-chan, Little Doctor, nice to see you both. What a pleasant surprise. There's not anything... wrong, is there?" he asked, walking over to stand near the table, smiling cautiously, but politely.

"What? No, of course not, I mean, unless your back hurts worse? Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?!" Chopper stood up in his seat and reached for Sanji and the bag beside his chair at the same time.

Sanji couldn't help himself but to laugh at the adorable concerned look on the child's face. "I'm fine, I'm fine. How about you, Luffy? You feelin' alright?" Sanji deflected, ignoring the ache in the middle of his back that seemed to be calling him a liar.

"Yeah, of course I am! Well, I'd be better if I had some meat... but that's why we're here now!" Luffy answered jovially and the others either laughed or shook their heads.

"Is _that_ all?" Sanji asked jokingly. He smiled and conversed pleasantly enough with everyone at the table like nothing was amiss, but he had only seen Chopper in the days between their fight with Krieg and the present day. It would have been difficult not to tell them about what that marimo said if he had met them in the privacy of one of their homes, even in a group. Hell, especially in a group. He couldn't keep something like that to himself when they were all talking about how _well _that day went and how _lucky_ they were.

The girls were looking at him strangely, inquiring, perhaps, but their looks were different. Nami's was consistent with her personality, the rarely seen sensitive side, but Robin's was... "-ay?" she was saying, but he couldn't process what she'd said. "Come again? I'm sorry, Robin-chwan, I was off in space!" Sanji apologized quickly and Robin eyed him in an indescribably eerie way.

"I only asked if you are really okay. Are you?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow and looking him over slowly, apparently searching for something.

Fighting off a searching look of his own, Sanji nodded once. "Yes. Not that I'm not grateful of your concern, as it's a beautiful trait on you, Robin-chan, but why are you asking?"

He forgot everyone else at the table when Robin met his eyes. She cracked a smile, a very small, very strange smile, that contained so many different things, so many gears turning and ideas arising that it was startling. There was a different woman in those eyes, not the Robin he knew. When she spoke again, that foreign Robin was hidden beneath a version of Robin that he recognized just barely, in a somewhat different context, somehow, from her usual self. "Well, it may be nothing... But, I visited, ah, Roronoa-san earlier today. He was in much the same state, I think. He was angrier, of course, but I was just thinking it was quite a coincidence that you both are... in a state."

Sanji's eyebrows drew together, but he couldn't say anything with the others at the table. The conversation, if it could be called that, was carried off on a whirlwind of concern for Zoro and through that Sanji learned none of the others had seen him since that day, either. That was good, he supposed. Chopper talked them down from running off towards the elusive destination of Zoro's home while Sanji stood there, barely paying any attention. He wasn't sure why. He certainly cared to hear what his friends were talking about, but he couldn't bring himself to listen.

At some point he must have fed the others some excuse to get back to work, because he ended up in the kitchen, staring down at a pot of reddish-orange something that smelled kind of sweet. He could only vaguely recall getting back into the kitchen, trading insults with a few chefs and coming to his previous station. He couldn't have made the sauce or soup in that time, he observed, just as someone reached over and ladled some of the mystery liquid into a bowl. "If you ain't workin', get the hell out!" he heard someone say and he dazedly obliged.

In the corner of the kitchen by the back door, Sanji leaned against the wall and tried to keep it from his direct consciousness that he was thinking about Zoro. But, questions swarmed like flies in his mind, from something big like "Why would _he_ be upset?" to small curiosities about demons as a species. Never mind the question of how Robin could connect their moods to each other.

It was too confusing, being curious about the same thing he was furious about, wanting to know how they live and how they die and how many there were in the world. In a strange moment of childishness between one thought and the next, Sanji snorted about "curious" and "furious" rhyming, then he was back to serious and confused. He didn't understand how he could be accepting enough to be curious; he was still angry as hell at Zoro. But, despite what he had said to him, his final words to Zoro, he'd thought at the time, he wanted to go back. Maybe just to yell at him. Maybe to interrogate him. Maybe to kick his ass some more because he damn well deserved it, but Sanji didn't know.

It must be that he wanted to know what possible reason the bastard would have for being upset when he wasn't the one that was lied to and put in danger, Sanji figured. That was pretty damn hard to believe, but he had not known Nico Robin to lie to him. _Okay_, he told himself, _but I wouldn't know where to find the shitty swordsman anyway_. The uneasy mix of anger, confusion, curiosity and a hint of fear churned in his gut and made Sanji feel a little sick.

He didn't want to give up on his grudge, or the momentous charge of enmity he felt, but he didn't know where Zoro was, so he could hardly hold on to it. He wouldn't want to talk to anyone, not even the chefs, in the kind of mood he was in. He might well attack someone if he didn't just let it go. But, waiting right on the other side of his fury was a giant bubble of perverse interest in demons, something that he most definitely didn't want to let through. It was too honest and naive for him to give in to it on the heels of the boiling anger he was determined to feel towards the situation.

"I'm not prepared for shit like this," Sanji muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead. Confusion was becoming a constant in his life, even when it seemed he'd gotten answers. Too many shitty questions. And more answers only brought more questions. God _damn_, he needed a break.

*** Weischlinge - Weaklings.**

**The first time I ever put German in the story and I'm not even sure I used the plural. Dx But! I used a German word! Yay me! Now, what did ye think of what Robin had to add to the party?**


	27. Für meinen Freund

**Hello there, young whippersnappers. You remember me, don'tcha? Me, the girl who promises more updates then trips off the face of the earth? No? Well, I'm back again. And, here I have a pleasantly long chapter, written for my friend, Ayara's, birthday. Hence the title: "For my friend." :)**

Luffy whistled an impromptu tune to himself and the quietly settled dusk around him. Despite having to walk home alone, he was perfectly happy. It was a nice night, after all, even though it was getting colder every day and Ace told him not to stay out after dark alone. He didn't know what the problem was, anyway, since he wasn't a kid anymore and Ace should know that, but he wouldn't argue too much. He'd just try to find one or more of his friends to hang out with him so he wouldn't be out after dark alone.

He'd taken the long way home in hopes of encountering anyone he knew, although it would be difficult to just run across Usopp and Nami since they lived on the other side of the island. But, there was always a chance. He also might come across Zoro or Chopper and he really wanted to talk to Zoro. But, he'd probably just bump in to Sanji, since they lived in the same direction anyway. Or maybe he'd stop by the Baratie on his way home. Yup, that was a good idea. He'd do that.

The sound of his sandals on the pavement became the only sound he could hear, but Luffy didn't mind a lick. He'd just hum some more until he found some people or a dog or an owl or something to talk to. _It would be cool to talk to an owl_, he thought. _But, where do owls live...?_ Luffy put one hand to his chin, the other to the top of his hat. Birds lived in trees and owls were birds, weren't they? Or, since birds all slept at night in the trees and hung out in them during the day, did owls get kicked out for being weird? _Are they forced to live in the grass? Or sleep in clouds?! Where the hell did evil birds banish owls to?!_

"OWLS! I'll save you!" Luffy shouted, running towards a destination he hadn't yet determined. No matter where it was, he would go and save those owls. Luffy thundered down the side walk, looking at every nook and cranny in his path in search of the owls that would hopefully lead him to the big bad bird in charge so he could kick its-

"Just the person I wanted to see."

He skidded to a stop, holding his hat in place and looking around for the source of the voice. "Hello? Where are you?" he called, excitedly turning every which way. "You can help me find some owls to save!"

A quiet chuckle came from the trees only a moment before a figure walked out. Luffy idly realized he must've run pretty far to get to that part of town and then his attention was called to the infinitely more important subject of company. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that for now."

"Eh? Why? You're my friend, aren't you? You could help me save the owls!" Luffy reasoned, looking around again for his feathered friends that needed saving.

"I see. Before you do that, would you mind giving _me_ a hand with something?"

Luffy looked up at the woman, started to ask what she needed him to help with, but then his world singled out her and only her and there was nothing he could say or do that was more important than her will. He shook his head to answer her question, though he hardly needed to.

"Good. I have some treasure that I need you to dig up for me..."

oOo

He should've just been late to work instead of allowing Luffy to walk home alone. That kid was too easily distracted to wander the streets alone. Besides, late or not, he'd still get scolded, so why not help a hopelessly unfocused Luffy? It would at least give him an excuse. And, Nami-san wouldn't yell at him about letting puppies explore by themselves again.

The cook checked inside every restaurant he passed, absolutely positive that Luffy was not patiently waiting at the school or going straight home like a good little airhead. Not once in all the time that Sanji knew him had Luffy cooperated like that. Not once. He would find Luffy at a ramen stand, or that low-class barbecue place he liked so much. Then Sanji would chide him about running off on his own, but he'd end up inviting him to the Baratie. That had happened a lot of times. So many times, in fact, that he wondered why Usopp and Nami-san, or even Vivi-chan didn't help.

"Caaaaaaptaaaain," Sanji called after making sure there were no delicate ladies around to hear. "Must we do this again? Don't you get tired of wandering around and spending all your family's money on shitty food?" The buzzing of a street lamp as he passed under it was his only response. "Luuuffy! Make it easy on me, just this once!"

The dark sky, tinted only very slightly by one last ray of sunlight, covered the town in a chilling sort of calm. The atmosphere was subdued and quieter than any weekday at six-thirty should ever be. For that reason, he doubted Luffy was in the area. He was probably causing a ruckus elsewhere on the island.

Just as Sanji was about to decide to hop on the bus and just ride it to where the crowds were inevitably watching Luffy do something stupid, he noticed a very familiar hat crossing the street a ways down from where he was standing. He had to do a double take then because the person wearing that straw hat was standing up perfectly straight, unlike the person who should be wearing it. But, that person was about Luffy's size, wearing Luffy's hoodie and shorts, with the same scar in the same place below his lifeless left eye. If not for lack of an energetic gait, Sanji would say that it was Luffy. But, it couldn't be. Right?

"Luffy," Sanji called experimentally, not looking exactly at the bland-faced person who could be Luffy's twin.

The Luffy person stopped, barely up on the sidewalk, and looked around. His dark, empty eyes met Sanji's and the briefest flicker of recognition crossed his face. "Oh, San-" he started to say, before he cut himself off with a drunken look and then started walking like an empty shell again as if he had never been interrupted.

"Oi! It _is_ you! What the hell happened to you, Luffy?" Sanji shouted after him. The raven-haired zombie just kept walking. "Luffy! Hey, Luffy, I'm talking to you!" Luffy still didn't stop or acknowledge him. If it really was Luffy, with that dull persona and proper stride. But, if it was him, something was really wrong. "Luffy! Hold up!" Sanji didn't have to try too hard to catch up with the quiet excuse for Luffy; Luffy wasn't trying to run away from him. "What's going on? Are you alright?" Sanji asked, putting his hand on Luffy's shoulder and holding him in place firmly.

Despite being caught, Luffy continued trying to walk onwards, putting himself in a weird position where his legs were getting ahead of the rest of him. He looked over his shoulder at Sanji and blinked. "Oh, Sanji! What are you-" Again, he balked and his personality drained away.

"What the hell?!" The cook recoiled away from Luffy, pulling his hand back and allowing the zombie or robot or body double or alien host or what the fuck ever to walk off. He had the strongest sense of deja vu and he couldn't put his finger on why exactly. Sanji had never seen Luffy acting that way; he was fairly certain he'd remember it if he had, but he didn't. What on _earth_ could cause that kind of personality burp?

The Captain, if he could even be called that in his state, didn't stroll or skip, clomp or dash, he just walked. Very calmly, almost leisurely, but very graceful and dignified. He was the total opposite of himself by all counts. Luffy stared straight ahead, apparently knowing exactly where he was going, while Sanji felt completely lost. How could he deal with that situation? He had to figure out what had happened to Luffy, that much was for sure, he just didn't know how to. Following Luffy was a start. And, if he couldn't find out anything by just following him, then he'd come up with something more effective and/or drastic. When all else fails, call Ace. That was a saying, wasn't it?

"Luffy, hold on a minute! Where are you going?" Sanji called after Luffy, jogging to catch up to his majorly out of character friend.

oOo

The island's air was thoroughly disturbed by supernatural energy. Zoro could smell it. It smelled familiar, too. Powerful, though, moreso than usual. It must be close, concentrated. What the hell was Robin doing? So soon after a major confrontation, shouldn't she still be tapping her fingertips together and laughing maliciously to herself?

Zoro searched the island from the shadows, following the invisible trail of magical aura. It was tracked all over the human town, but he couldn't find the origin point. Even when she was being careless, that witch could still hide from the blame.

The energy was getting more intense the further Zoro went. Whatever Robin was doing, she was going all-out. It felt like passive energy, though, so she wasn't trying to cause an earthquake or anything like that. Maybe she wasn't out to destroy the island that evening. But, destructive or not, he still needed to figure out what she was doing. She never did anything to help him out and he doubted she was suddenly on his side.

"Will you just stop for a minute?" a familiar voice called out and Zoro halted. At first, he believed that voice was addressing him. Then, after a few seconds of just standing in the shadows behind a grimy stone building, Zoro processed that the voice was coming from too far away to be aimed at him. It wasn't likely that that person would be talking to him anyway...

But, wait. Sanji was there? Near the pinnacle of the supernatural power? Why? Was he being controlled again? Was that Robin's errand? Wait, no, last time he wasn't conscious enough to speak, let alone so smoothly and clearly. Was it just a coincidence that Sanji was there while the demon woman was active? He couldn't be helping her, could he?

Zoro closed his nose to the demonic power and searched for the cook's smell. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do, but there was no scenario in which he would not be worried or curious when Robin was using her abilities around one of his humans.

The cook was close by. Not too close, but he could be there in less than twenty seconds if he really wanted to. He would have gone, maybe, but there was someone with Sanji. Who? The smell wasn't normal. He recognized it, yes, but it was strange. Altered, in some way, from its usual aroma, he thought, or perhaps he had never noticed the unique tinge. But, it smelled like Luffy. Only, demonic.

"I don't suppose I could get away with saying I didn't expect to see you here?" the deep, sultry voice of the devil herself inquired from beside him.

A breeze brought on by the expedient arrival of his enemy washed over them and Zoro narrowed his eyes. "No, I don't _suppose_ so. Now, why the hell is it you expected to see me? Anxious about something, woman?" Zoro asked, suppressing a sneer he so badly wanted to express. He had things, ugly things, which he wanted to say to Robin concerning the last time he saw her, but more importantly at the moment was finding out her current motivation.

Nico Robin chuckled, her hand poised thoughtfully under her chin. "I wonder... Perhaps it is because I know you? Because you are very... attached, shall we say, to, ah, humanity," she said, turning to face him. A small smirk colored her intrigued expression. "I would have been surprised if you hadn't come trailing after Captain-san and Cook-san."

"What are you doing with them?" Zoro asked, never one to beat around the bush.

Robin, however, had always loved to tiptoe around what she really wanted or needed to say, and as such she laughed through closed lips and eyed Zoro curiously. "What is it you think I am doing that would warrant such a sharp look, Swordsman-san?"

"Don't mess with me, woman, tell me the damn truth. I want to know what you're planning and why the hell you have to involve those humans, out of all the humans on this island." Shit. He didn't mean to word it like that. It sounded like he would permit her to use different humans, but he sure as hell would not. If she didn't understand that, though, and decided to claim another set of humans, then he could apprehend her and kill her if he wanted to. There would still be a fine, but he would not be exiled for passing personal judgment on a fellow demon if she'd tampered with half a dozen humans in a single area.

Robin studied his face, seemingly reading each thought as it passed through his head. He really hoped she couldn't actually do that. "You haven't noticed," Robin said like it was a statement. She put her fingers to her lips, covering a tiny smile. "How interesting."

Zoro frowned deeply at that, reaching for his swords. "Noticed what?" he asked cautiously. Was she talking about her plans? About the humans? He didn't know what he was supposed to have noticed, but he had a feeling it wasn't good.

"Well. It would not be so amusing if I told you," the older demon said with a devious smile. "Why don't you try and figure it out?"

A growl worked its way up from the increasingly annoyed swordsman. "I swear, I will send you to the ninth circle of hell if you don't-"

"Again? Threatening me, again? Swordsman-san, at this point, I think both of us know you are not going to go through with it." Robin smiled a bit wider, not quite a grin, and chuckled darkly. "Besides, I have already been to the ninth circle of hell, and it is none too impressive compared to the journey through the other eight."

That _woman_. What the hell was her problem? Once upon a time, she had been someone Zoro may have considered an adversary, a friend, even, but she had aged to be strange and twisted. Zoro didn't know how she could get along with humans without their lizard brains acting up and making them flee from her. She had a kind of ferocity behind her smiling face that scared even him sometimes. But that same ferocity compelled him into her path, not out of it, right between her and the perfectly innocent, annoyingly and amusingly ignorant humans. If he had no people to protect, sometimes he wondered if he and Robin would fight, or if one or the other of them would not be there.

"Strangely pensive this evening, aren't you? I haven't seen you so deeply buried in your innermost thoughts since... Hmm, twelve human days ago?" Robin noted aloud in a teasing tone of voice.

Then, quashing whatever colorful banter Zoro would have thrown her way, the cook's voice sliced through the air, a panicked shout and a call for the captain. Zoro didn't wait around to fruitlessly question the woman any further, not even for a second, as he darted off towards the source of the voice.

It took him all of twelve seconds to get to where he could see the cook, at which point he stopped himself by catching hold of a sturdy lamp post. His shoulder popped loudly, a mere annoyance as it clicked in his mind where they were.

"You weren't supposed to interrupt so soon," Robin sighed, behind him as suddenly as before.

Zoro hardly paid her any mind. For the moment, he was focused solely on the blond, who reeked of confusion and worry. His attention shifted slightly and slowly to Luffy, whose scent was an anomaly he still couldn't understand, after it had been the same for so long. Even being controlled would not alter his scent so much, Zoro knew. That should be the most important thing, something in the back of his mind was telling him that, but he couldn't stop himself from being wary of and for the cook.

"Have you figured it out yet, I wonder?"

Zoro remained silent, watching the two presumed humans walk into the Calm Belt graveyard, the sanctuary of the island's history and greatest secrets. Luffy walked forward at a steady clip, while a slash in the side of the captain's shirt, just under his ribcage, it looked like, leaked blood. Sanji, though unscathed, was at least ten times more uneasy than Luffy, his temper not contained by any supernatural bounds whatsoever. Luffy was being controlled by Robin, Zoro's brain pointed out to him. And, of all things, she was sending him to the graveyard. Why? She already had the chest and all but the few papers he'd snagged from within it. She couldn't possibly know about the rest, could she?

"I cannot allow you to stop me this day," Robin told him solemnly. A set of arms appeared out of the lamp post beside him and Zoro avoided them quickly. "You may not interfere."

"Like hell," Zoro spat, drawing his swords. "This is my island, my sacred ground and my humans. I'll interfere if and when I damn well feel like it!"

oOo

Luffy ambled onward a step or two ahead of him, completely ignoring the injury he'd received upon hopping the iron fence. Normally, even through all his clumsy mishaps and lack of grace, Luffy would have gotten into the graveyard without a scratch on him. Amongst all the things he had to worry about at that moment, somehow that little two-inch scrape squirmed its way to the foremost part of his mind. "Captain, wait! We have to get you checked out! Hey, don't you want to see Chopper?" Sanji tried everything he could think of to say short of offering up an entire holiday weekend's worth of house-specialty meat, but no matter what he said, Luffy didn't show any sign that he knew he was there.

They walked between headstones and over flat grave markers, but their dismal surroundings went for the most part unnoticed. Luffy was purposefully striding towards the shoddy building they'd passed a long time ago, when they'd visited the graveyard in search of the place where Luffy and Usopp had gotten the old chest full of papers. The straw hat walked around the pathetic structure and before Sanji could even catch up with him, he'd grabbed up a rusty old spade from somewhere and started off on a new path.

A phantom wind kicked up and Sanji's hair blew fiercely around in his face, stinging his eyes and slowing him down considerably. "Luffy! Hold on a minute, please! Just stop, okay?" Sanji called over the howl of the sudden gust. Still, the other boy refused to slow. His path remained unaltered by the strong wind while Sanji was pushed nearly two feet to the left. The shovel he was dragging at his side scraped loudly against the gravestones, but still Luffy did not appear to notice.

Though the night had been clear not five minutes ago, wispy clouds filtered into the sky at a rapid pace, slowly blocking out the moonlight one layer at a time. The slight chill in the air became startlingly icy and Sanji couldn't help a shiver, despite the fact that he was wearing one of his beloved suits. "Something's wrong," Sanji said, meaning to be heard by Luffy, but barely hearing himself. "Luffy, I think something's up! This weather is too weird all of the sudden! Come on, we have to go back!" he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to aid his cause.

Luffy, still disconcertingly lifeless, strode up and over a four-foot hill where there were no graves. From the other side of the hill, Sanji saw Luffy had stopped walking and pitched the spade into the dirt. He should've been relieved, he guessed, but, even though his friend was no longer progressing into the gloom, Sanji had the sneaking suspicion that the battle was not yet won.

"Captain, I need to get back to work. You know, where the meat is. Want to come with? You could stay the night, Luffy! How does that sound?" Sanji tried again to convince Luffy in the direction of sanity, of some semblance of vitality, but all Luffy did in response was dig. "We could even invite Usopp over and make a night of it like we used to! Although Nami-swan has certainly out-grown slumber parties with boys... But, mostly like we used to!" Sanji offered.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the breeze died. Plain, simple and scary as hell, the night became silent and still. Sanji stumbled to the right after fighting against the wind just to stay his course. He looked around like the grim, half crumbled grave markers would tell him what had happened, more troubled by the darkness than he ever had been in his entire life. "Luffy," he beckoned flatly, afraid to be too loud in the utter, resounding silence of the cemetery. His gut was telling him something bad was close, far too close to relax. "Luffy, we need to get out of here."

His friend continued to dig with the same lack of enthusiasm that he'd been walking with for the past who-knows-how-many minutes, completely ignoring or simply oblivious to the unnatural charge in the air. "Luffy, come on," Sanji said as levelly as he could, stepping carefully towards his captain whilst looking around for whatever may go bump in the night. "Stop that, Luffy. Now is not the time to go graverobbing."

Sanji crept around to Luffy's left side and gripped his shoulder. His eyes roamed over the far off tree line and the tall graves and mausoleums before coming back to rest on his Captain. "Luffy," he whispered urgently. "We need to get out of here. Now. You're always going on about gut feelings, aren't you? Well, my gut feeling is that something bad is going to happen, Luffy, and it's going to happen very soon if we don't get the hell out of here now. Are you hearing me?"

Luffy's head lolled around on his neck slightly, his eye focused straight ahead the whole time. "I have some treasure I need you to dig up for me," Luffy muttered in a robotic voice. Sanji gawked at his friend, thoroughly confused by the familiar nature of Luffy's bizarre state. He remembered something like that, he thought, he just couldn't place it. But, that shouldn't be important at all, not when there was a disturbing silence swallowing them and the area around them. Not when Luffy was going on about treasure in a voice so unlike his own.

"I didn't want to have to do this," Sanji told Luffy, who responded by stomping the spade deeper into the shallow hole he'd dug.

oOo

Robin's arms were appearing too quickly. He could slice them up all he wanted, but she was skilled. He had to get to the real Robin, slice her real arms in half so he could get to his humans. That's all he needed to do, but even that was easier said than done when his opponent was a handful of decades older and more experienced than him.

"Just give up, Swordsman-san," Robin called from the trees somewhere nearby. "I don't really want to hurt you."

Zoro brought his sword down swiftly through a thick cord of independent arms and they turned into cherry blossom petals and blew away. "Sure you don't," he grunted, spinning and cutting up a wave of Robin's arms. "But, I'm not giving up. I will save them from you, woman." He jumped up over a twirl of arms that multiplied into a net on the ground and reached for him. In the most psychotic moment he had ever had during a fight, Zoro thought that Sanji and the others would be more freaked out by Robin's demonic abilities than by his own, what with all the limbs coming from nowhere.

"Have I once said that it was my plan to hurt them?" Robin asked and he caught a glimpse of her standing on a thin branch before she summoned a wall of arms between them and rehid herself. "I have only threatened them when no other action would get me what I want."

"I don't care!" Zoro growled around his sword, leaping through the barrier of arms and slashing a path for himself with a wide swing of his blade. "I can't trust you, Robin! As far as I know, you'll kill them all the second my back's turned!"

Robin laughed, so close behind him that he could feel her breath on his ear. "That was not the plan. But, I'd hate to disappoint..."

Zoro made a stab for her and felt a smooth passage through nothing except open air, but a pained shout erupted from the silence. The swordsman whirled around to see if he'd actually hit her, only to find an entirely unscathed Robin looking around, surprised and almost as confused as himself. If not Robin, then who was hurt? _Shit, the humans...!_

He was fully prepared to drag Robin along with him to check on the humans if he must, but the older demon had disappeared on the breeze. He didn't have time to worry about what she may be doing in the complete opposite direction from the graveyard; there were more important things to be tended to, starting with his humans.

As fast as he could, Zoro ran towards the smell of Sanji and the sound of movement in the cemetery. His heart raced in his chest and created a feeling like it would break through his ribs and flee and he didn't even know why it would do that. Nothing terrible had happened. He knew that because he couldn't smell blood or fear or anything like that, but his heart still pounded and his breaths came ragged. What on earth was wrong with him?

Zoro nearly revealed himself to the humans at top speed, only darting behind a crumbling stone statue as a last second thing. He wasn't sure how disturbing it might be to them for him to suddenly appear, so he would wait and approach at human speed if there was any need at all for him to approach in the first place.

From his spot in the dark shadow of a crippled angel, Zoro saw Luffy sitting on the ground with his legs splayed out in front of him, looking around curiously. Sanji was kneeling beside Luffy, mumbling his thanks to a deity Zoro did not believe in.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Captain," Sanji said, almost casually. His voice was distinctly relieved and Zoro could see why.

"What does that mean? Sanji, why are we in the graveyard? Was I sleeping?" Luffy asked, sounding confused and excited at the same time.

The cook produced a strained laugh as he helped Luffy to his feet. "Yeah. Yeah, that's it. You fell asleep waiting for me to pick you up. Can you believe it? You were sleep walking!" It didn't sound much like Sanji believed his own words, but Luffy laughed and started on about telling his other friends that he had walked in his sleep.

_Did Robin release him?_ Zoro questioned inwardly, suddenly aware that Luffy was no longer under Robin's smell. He still stunk peculiarly of demon, but he was definitely himself again. It seemed to him the only way Luffy could have gotten free of Robin's supernatural grip on him was for her to willingly let him go, though he doubted she would after going on about the importance of her business that evening. So, what? He'd never seen anyone free themselves of demonic compulsion before. Not fully, anyway. But Luffy was back to normal, completely. Did he break free by himself?

"Come on, it's way past dark. I'll walk you home, alright?" Sanji held onto Luffy's arm and the two of them shuffled out of the graveyard. Zoro exchanged glances with nothing and nobody before following after them silently.

Could Sanji have awakened him from Robin's mental hold? It is somewhat possible to rouse someone from the outside, but how would a human even know to do it? Sanji shouldn't remember the time when he was under Robin's control, so he should be starting from the same clueless zilch that every other human started with. It would have taken him a lot longer and quite a few very human, overly drastic measures before he'd even come close to waking someone under a demon's influence. So what had he done that had worked so quickly? Zoro had to know.

"Ne, Sanji, can I stay over at your house?"

"Sure. Long as you don't mind the old man spewin' curses about it."

"Shishishishi, your dad's funny, Sanji! He makes yummy food, too!"

"O-kay. Whatever you say."

Zoro followed them down the streets, listening in for anything that may relate to Luffy's waking up. The humans, well, mostly Luffy, talked about mundane, human things, almost as if the shared episode earlier had not happened. But, Zoro could tell that Sanji was thinking about it. He could see tension in his walk, anxiety in his eyes. The cook was waiting for it to happen again. If he was telling the truth, then Zoro was waiting for the same thing. That didn't necessarily mean that Sanji knew what had plagued his friend, but Zoro was nearly certain he did know. Maybe he remembered having the same affliction? Could humans do that?

The blond glanced over his shoulders warily, apparently looking for whatever he believed to be responsible for Luffy's earlier behavior. His one blue eye skimmed over the nook Zoro was dwelling in at the moment and the swordsman held his breath. Was he seen? Did Sanji notice he was there and, drawing on his revelation about Zoro from days and days ago, decide to blame him for this?

"Oi, Sanji, what are you looking at? Is there an owl over there?" Luffy asked, his all-too-merry tone disgustingly wrong in context with the atmosphere.

Sanji started and blinked at Luffy. "Wha...? An owl? Wh- No. No, there's not an owl. Why would I be looking at an owl?" They settled into a normal-for-them conversation wherein Luffy went on about how owls were misunderstood and shunned, and Zoro thought about leaving them be. The cook still looked over his shoulder occasionally, but it seemed that they would be safe, so he could go about finding Robin and not worry. But, he just couldn't stop. He had to figure out what happened to wake Luffy from Robin's spell, why his smell was different, why Sanji seemed to remember being compelled. Why, why, why, what, what, what, the questions just spiraled and degenerated until they were nothing but excuses. Even he knew that. But, he still followed them.

**Pssh. Birds, man. They're the worst. Robins especially.**


	28. Offenbarungen

**So, hi. It has been a while, hasn't it? A little bit more than a month, I think? Well. I'm trying a new system for writing. Well, a system. I didn't have one to begin with, just wrote what I wanted, when I wanted. But, I have decided to try a system that may get me done a little faster. Anyway... I missed you guys. :) Even though I have posted stuff and I never stopped hearing from you (which is awesome, by the way ;D), I still miss this. Hah. What a sap I am.**

**P.S. chapter titles means "revelations."**

Luffy noticed Sanji looking around again. That guy was so paranoid. Maybe Usopp had sent him one of his articles about alien abduction. Those always made Luffy a little paranoid. He should let Sanji know it was okay, since Usopp had trained him to recognize aliens. There wasn't any reason to be so antsy.

"Sanji," he said, "it's alright. I can kick their asses." There. He should feel much better.

The chef looked at him sharply, eyes wide. "Whose? What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, rather snappishly, in Luffy's opinion. He really _was_ paranoid.

"Aliens, of course. It's fine, though. I won't tell anyone you got scared," Luffy assured him, putting a finger to his own lips to show Sanji that it was their secret. He remembered once telling Nami that Sanji was afraid of spiders and then Sanji didn't cook for him for years, it felt like. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Sanji's jaw dropped. Was he surprised Luffy figured it out? He should know Luffy wasn't as dumb as everyone always said he was. "No. Luffy, what... what makes you think I'm scared of... aliens?" Sanji narrowed his eyes at Luffy the way the others did when he was absolutely sure he'd hit the nail on the head.

Luffy shrugged. "I just know," he answered. To humor Sanji, he looked around. But then he thought about it, and he did feel kind of watched, too. Maybe he'd keep an eye out, just in case.

oOo

Did they know he was there? Sanji kept looking back. After the first time Sanji had almost seen him that evening, he hadn't even come close, but it still made Zoro uneasy. A few times he wondered if finding out how Luffy got free of Robin's mind control was worth possibly being caught and blamed, but he stayed his course. It was probably stupid, but he wanted to know. He was keeping them safe and finding out how to save them from Robin in the future, he told himself. Which was true, he supposed, except for the part where they weren't really in any danger at the moment, but they didn't know that.

Zoro observed his surroundings, taking a deep breath of city air to search out demon-smell. He couldn't see her or feel her presence, but Robin's smell was still around. Not strongly, but enough that he began to feel angry again. He shouldn't think about her. He should just focus on the humans while he was there and he could think about Robin later, when he didn't have anyone to worry about protecting.

Wait. He was being watched, now, he could feel it. He wrenched his eyes back to Sanji, afraid he'd been spotted, but the blond wasn't looking in a direction even remotely close to him. Zoro's next thought was to look around for Robin, but as he spun, his eyes met a dark pair that he wasn't unfamiliar with. Their gaze didn't flicker or turn away when he stared back. He glanced down at the thin scar below the left eye and when he looked back up he was still being stared at. Was he just staring? Or did he actually see Zoro?

"Luffy, what're you looking at? Do you see something?" Sanji asked, perhaps looking around, but Zoro didn't know. He was too busy staring at the dawning grin on Luffy's face.

"Nothing," Luffy answered and Zoro was sure he winked.

He was almost entirely sure, then, as Luffy turned back to the road ahead and the two humans rounded the corner, that he'd been spotted. Luffy didn't say anything and Sanji didn't ask again, but Zoro felt like he should be worried. He didn't know what he could do about it if he had been sighted. Something, for sure, but what he could or should do depended on what Luffy did. Though Zoro dreaded the thought as it entered his head, he wondered if he might have to bring another human into his dark world.

Not even one whole year ago, he had been living an uneventful, silent, if a little lonely, lifestyle, one that he missed so deeply he couldn't even explain it. But, even as he longed for his unencumbered existence, telling the humans about himself seemed somehow interesting, exciting, even. Robin must have been affecting him with all her obsessiveness, he decided, because he had never had such conflicting opinions within himself on any matter he could recall.

"Hey, Sanji?" Luffy interrupted the silence and Zoro's thought train.

The cook made a sound of acknowledgement and Zoro could smell one of Sanji's beloved stink-cylinders burning away.

"Are you and Zoro fighting?" Luffy asked, in the most innocent tone the demon had heard since he last spoke to Chopper days ago. His surprise at being mentioned did not measure up to his surprise at the straight-to-the-point nature of his question.

Zoro advanced through the shadows during a silence that seemed to him to be very telling. When he caught up with the humans again a second later, they were walking side-by-side, rather than Luffy leading Sanji. "Why do you ask?" Sanji questioned, as bored-sounding as Zoro had ever heard him.

Luffy shrugged, swinging his arms merrily, as if the conversation he was having was not dangerously close to a truth better left untold. "It just seems like you guys like to fight. And he hasn't been hanging out with us lately, even though I went looking for him to ask." He sounded vaguely pouty. Zoro knew better than to hope, but he had to admit he was becoming attached to the imbecilic human. And, unlike certain other humans, it seemed like Luffy wasn't opposed to his company.

The cook stared down at his own shoes in silence for a while, a thin fog of smoke forming a stream behind him. "Yeah. We're fighting," he said, his voice made visible by smoke. "I told him to stay away." Zoro frowned at that.

"Why?" Luffy asked, the picture of innocence.

Again, Sanji hesitated. "I, uh. I found out he was lying." Zoro held his breath. "I just decided it would be better if he went away."

Zoro pursed his lips as he followed the two humans. That was not how Zoro remembered it. Zoro remembered it with yelling and violence and horrible feelings and, perhaps, thunder rumbling. It wasn't "just" anything. Second, maybe to his utter defeat against Mihawk, witnessing the cook's revelations about Zoro's nature was the worst thing that had happened since he'd decided to come out of hiding and learn the modern world.

"Lying about what? Zoro's an honest guy." Luffy sounded matter-of-fact. That was good. If Luffy trusted him, which Zoro had sort of already known, then it would make everything a little bit easier concerning the humans.

"It's not important right now," Sanji said, sounding for the most part level-headed. Zoro could hear his pulse. He was lying.

Luffy stopped walking. "If it's not important, then why are you fighting?" he asked. He had a very good point, Zoro thought, but a better point would be pressing Sanji about why he didn't tell the other humans. Zoro supposed he could employ that line of questioning at the earliest opportunity after he found out how Luffy had escaped Robin's hold.

Sanji's cheeks appeared hollow as he focused on his cigarette. The cook sighed out a cloud of smog, taking his time again in answering. Zoro was getting tired of that. "It's not important for you to know right now. It's important to me, though," Sanji said very carefully, in a sharp kind of tone that indicated with little subtlety that he was done with the conversation.

Luffy looked at Sanji blankly and he did not blink. He just stared for five seconds, ten, a minute. He never stopped walking, but he didn't watch where he was going at all. Somehow, he didn't trip. Sanji almost did, glancing uneasily back at Luffy.

"What is it?" Sanji asked, and Zoro could almost read on his features that he was afraid Luffy had been possessed again.

The raven-haired human shook his head, reluctantly pulling his eyes away from Sanji. "How long have we known each other, Sanji?" he asked, as casually as one would inquire about the weather.

Sanji blinked. "Uh... About nine years."

Luffy nodded. "That's a long time. Now, when has something important to you, in all that time, ever been unimportant to me?"

Everything seemed to stop. Luffy was dead-serious, Zoro could tell. From the sound of the cook's heart beat, Zoro would guess he could tell, too. How could anyone refute such an argument? Zoro had known Luffy for all of four months and he felt like that same approach would work on him.

The cook sighed and hung his head. "Luffy," he said and sighed again. "Just let this one be, okay?" Sanji cast his eyes around again, not like he was looking for something, but like he was avoiding looking at Luffy. "I'll figure it out. And when I do, I'll tell you about it."

Luffy grinned, goofy and knowing at the same time. "I'm not very patient," he stated, looking at Sanji sideways, and for some reason the cook nodded and the conversation was over.

oOo

When they got to the Baratie, it was already closing time. Sanji ushered Luffy in through the back and was met with no shouts or complaints about brats in the kitchen. Luffy went peacefully with a yawn up the stairs. "Don't get into any trouble," Sanji said after him and stayed downstairs to do a little cleaning.

Zeff came downstairs not long after Sanji started washing stray dishes. "You're late, eggplant," he greeted gruffly. Sanji didn't look up from his task. "You're lucky we weren't busy tonight, kid." Was he trying to get answers? A rise, maybe? Sanji would not give it to him. He was too tired. "Just gonna ignore me? Well. Irresponsible, impudent little brats that take off without tellin' anyone don't get to have their annoying little free-loading friends over."

Sanji breathed in deeply through his nose. "By the way, old man," he said as if Zeff hadn't been talking, "Luffy's gonna be staying the night."

"I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Alzheimer's. Very sad."

"Bullshit! I may be old, but I'm not senile!" Zeff snapped, his peg leg smacking the tile floor loudly as he took up an angry stance by the counter to Sanji's left.

The blond rinsed the pan he'd been washing and placed it in the drying rack with only the slightest intention of slamming it. He thought about shouting "could've fooled me," but what sense would that make? Zeff wasn't senile at all and he did have a good reason to be upset. Sanji shouldn't have left the restaurant and his pseudo-father hanging. But, there were bigger things for him to be concerned about. So, instead of blowing up, he tried a new approach. "Can Luffy stay over tonight?" he asked in his most civil tone.

Zeff snorted. "Are you kidding? He's a great kid, of course he can stay. Just make sure he pays his tab this time," the head chef said with a false stern voice and a tired chuckle. Sanji looked at Zeff, eyes wide. He had never heard such positive things from Zeff about any of his friends. "What? Did you think I hated your little eggplant pack?" Zeff asked with a moustache smirk.

"Well. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Don't you?" Sanji narrowed his eyes at the chef, expecting barking laughter and a full retraction.

But, Zeff shook his head. "Nah. You're a pretty good judge of people for such a young brat." And then he left. What a weird day it was turning out to be.

When he finished with the dishes, Sanji went upstairs to find Luffy snoring on his bed. That kid had no consideration for or reservations towards Sanji whatsoever. But that was fine. Usually, Luffy would stay up and talk his ears off and he wouldn't get any sleep. This time, he would get as much rest as one could on a futon in the floor.

Sanji pulled the covers out from under Luffy and tossed them over his friend carefully. He was pretty sure he wouldn't, or rather, _couldn't _wake Luffy, but one could never be too careful.

The cook changed into his favorite "Kiss the Cook" shirt, one of at least half a dozen, and some plaid pajama shorts to the sound of Luffy snoring. He gathered his discarded suit and hung it up, fishing his wallet and smokes out of the pockets as he did so. The white paper carton was calling his name.

He glanced at Luffy's sprawled and snoozing form as he stepped over to the sill and cracked a window. It wasn't fully autumn yet, but the air had a chill to it that was undeniable in short sleeves and perhaps a little much for his resting friend. Even so, he didn't think he would be able to sleep without a smoke. He idly hoped the smell didn't wake Luffy as he lit up.

The grimy pathway between the Baratie and the jewelry store, where Sanji's eyes often wandered while he was smoking at the window, was nearly pitch dark, but he saw something move. At first he thought it was a deviant smoke stream from his cigarette, but then he exhaled in the opposite direction, and the same movement in the same place caught his eye again.

_Please don't let it be a stray_, he thought, remembering the disastrous time he'd taken in a stray dog and how it had gotten run over not a week later while he was at school. If it was a stray, he knew he'd take it in, but he told himself to spare his pride that he could and would resist.

Sanji leaned out the window, cigarette in hand all but forgotten, trying to get a better look. The flitting disturbance occurred again and Sanji squinted to make it out. It was big, he could tell, but, even though he was only two stories up, he couldn't see what it was.

And then it stepped into the light and it wasn't an animal at all. It was that bastard Zoro, Sanji registered slowly. The demon. The one that was supposed to be staying the hell away from him and all parties associated with him including anyone and everyone in the building that Zoro was standing ten feet away from.

Sanji thought he'd go away. He looked right at Sanji, without a doubt, and the cook glared back down at him. But rather than leave, Zoro waved at him, gesturing for Sanji to come to him. He didn't really want that. The cook was too angry still, especially so soon after whatever kind of episode that was that Luffy had. That had demon stink all over it, he was absolutely sure. He remembered the day Zoro told him the truth, the day which should have been remembered by the bloody fight. For a minute, or two, or ten, Sanji was lost to the world that day, staring into Zoro's eyes, and not in a romantic way. He'd felt like a zombie at that time and he'd seen a reflection of that in Luffy not too long ago.

Zoro beckoned to him again and Sanji couldn't help it. He shoved the smoldering tip of his cigarette against the empty window box and started out. It would not be to anyone's benefit, but he was going to have a talk with that ignorant demon. Maybe he could find out what really happened in between kicks to Zoro's ass.

oOo

He was coming down. Zoro thought for sure he wouldn't, but he was coming. He looked upset. Very upset, actually, but Zoro wanted answers. Starting with how Luffy got free of Robin, and maybe including some less-important questions that Zoro was perhaps too eager to ask. He felt stupid, the way he was getting excited to talk to Sanji, because he really shouldn't be. It didn't make sense. Not for him, or for anyone in a similar situation, but damn it all if sense had anything to do with it.

Zoro listened to Sanji's muted voice exchanging comments with someone inside the building and felt a pulse in his arm thumping erratically. Why was he so nervous? Sanji was just a human, one who didn't like him very much, and Zoro was capable of handling him with ease. Why didn't his pulse get that?

The heavy metal door shrieked once as it was slammed open, by a foot, it sounded like. Sanji strode over to Zoro, hands in his pockets, brows nearly covering his eyes. "This is serious," Zoro said quickly, trying to derail the cook before his anger reached a head. He stepped forward, stuck out his chest, crossed his arms, frowned heavily, did everything he could do without shouting or using his swords to slow Sanji's roll, and none of it was working.

Sanji spun around on one foot, swinging his heel at the side of Zoro's head, a move he seemed to favor. The demon caught his foot and if he'd had his wits about him he would have thrown it back, but he just held it there. Sanji's nostrils flared and he tried to jerk away from Zoro's hold, but the swordsman gripped tighter. "I am going to ask you some questions, and you are going to answer them. Understand?" he said, a little too nicey-nice for the stern and threatening disposition he was going for.

The cook's upper lip curled into a sneer. "No, as a matter of fact, I don't," he spat, pulling his foot free and taking another shot, at Zoro's gut this time. "How about this? How about you answer my questions and I don't fucking beat the shit out of you," he stated rather than suggested as Zoro narrowly dodged him.

It was not going according to plan. Zoro would like to say that he could stand his ground and pull things back into his favor, but he couldn't think of anything that would achieve that. His tough guy appearance, usually not a façade, was getting harder and harder to uphold. "Fine. Ask me anything," he grumbled, stopping Sanji as he was winding up for another kick.

And stop he did. He didn't completely gawk, not really, but Sanji looked surprised. However, he recovered quickly. "Okay. What happened to Luffy tonight? Was that you?" the cook asked, verging on hostile. Zoro flinched. "Why was he so set on digging in the graveyard? What-"

"Whoa. Slow down." Zoro put his hands up in a peaceful gesture before Sanji could get too worked up. "First, I'm not entirely sure," he said, thinking about Luffy's unexpected awakening from Robin's control. "Second, no, it wasn't me. I had nothing to do with that or anything else that happened tonight. And I don't know why... I have a guess about why he was digging in the graveyard."

"Then what? Who? And wh-"

Zoro interrupted him again. "Hold on. You don't remember?" He thought Sanji had remembered the time, or both times, that he had been controlled by Robin, but if that wasn't the case, Luffy must have rescued himself. That didn't account for the shout of pain by Zoro's reasoning, but what else could it be? Luffy was a very impressive human. Zoro would not be surprised if he'd freed himself.

"Don't remember what?" Sanji asked, offended and confused, maybe curious. Damn it. Now he'd brought it up and Sanji didn't look like he'd let it go. Was there a downside to telling Sanji it was Robin's fault? That she was the demon causing trouble for their group of humans, not Zoro? Sanji may not believe him. But he did _not_ want to be blamed for Robin's crimes. Even though, as he understood it, the humans had known Robin for a lot longer than they'd known Zoro, he hoped Sanji would believe him.

Zoro took a breath and let his eyes wander. "Robin. She had a hold of you like that. Twice that I know of. She's the one who made Luffy... mindless tonight," he said, trying to phrase everything just right and say it in a level voice. Calm, soothing, believable. Even just one of the three would be more than he felt he deserved as Sanji's expression caved. He was hurt.

"R...Robin? No. No, I don't believe that." Sanji paused, thinking. A new expression, one Zoro associated with denial, came over his face. "No. You know what? I think you're lying. Robin-chan has always been a wonderful woman. I don't remember her ever doing anything to hurt anyone, especially not one of us. There's no way she's a demon," Sanji snapped. Zoro couldn't picture it. She had been a decent human being, but she had become a conniving demon. As far as Zoro was concerned, she was never to be trusted again.

Zoro started to explain, to tell Sanji about all the not-wonderful things she'd been doing recently, but the cook put up a hand to stop him. "But, you know what I do remember? You. Trying to convince me that your wound was old or some shit in an unnatural way." Sanji's voice was very calm. That didn't seem like a good sign and Zoro realized that right away, but it took him longer than he was proud of to get what Sanji was saying.

He didn't catch on at any great speed. "I didn't- I mean- Robin, she- You-" He had never felt more stupid. Over all the years he'd been a demon, even though he wasn't so good at the "look into my eyes" part, he had never been remembered as the enemy. No one ever knew he'd altered them, or tried to, in Sanji's case. "I didn't mess with Luffy. And, that was one time and it wasn't even successful! I couldn't do it and I won't. Ever," he defended, regaining his ability to speak coherently as Sanji lost his willingness to listen.

"I don't care. This is your final warning: stay away from us. All of us." Zoro was being too hopeful, but he thought for sure he saw Sanji waver.

"It wasn't me. I swear. I'd never do anything to hurt you," he said, trying to appeal to the waver. "Robin is the bad guy here! She doesn't care about you, but I-" He stopped. Sanji was staring at him, no longer seething, no longer glaring, shouting, or even talking. He looked surprised and, it may have been Zoro's imagination, but he didn't think Sanji was surprised in a bad way. Actually, he couldn't much tell with what inflection Sanji was surprised. Was he shocked into some kind of coma? By what? Was it Robin? Zoro looked around, but none of his senses were registering demon anything except for the tinge on Luffy's scent in the upstairs bedroom. But then he knew it wasn't because of anything supernatural. At first it was an empty realization, acknowledgement that no, it wasn't Robin this time, and not much of anything else, but he _got_ it. He'd lost his generality. When? Why? He was speaking solely for one human, thinking of just the one human, talking only to _the_ one human not just because he was the only that knew about Zoro, but-_ Stop. What is going on?_

"Go." Sanji pointed off at the street. "Now."

He wasn't angry. Zoro knew that much, but he lacked any further indicators. So, he took a step back. Then two. Then he stopped, halfway to another step. It didn't seem important anymore, not compared to something that seemed to make all his insides still, something that he didn't want to look at yet, or maybe ever, but he felt compelled to ask another question. "How did you wake him? Luffy. When he was like that, what did you do?" Zoro asked. He didn't expect an answer. He felt a resounding emptiness, a lack of caring for anything else except what he wasn't ready for, but it was a question that had to be asked.

Sanji looked down. If Zoro wasn't mistaken, the human had a similar voidance of thoughts and feelings. "It's stupid," the cook said in a toneless voice, pausing only for a moment. "You'll leave if I tell you, right?"

Zoro tried to think about it, to say no, even. He could only nod.

"I punched him. Bye." Sanji turned around and walked with a slight wobble in his step back into the Baratie and Zoro watched him until he couldn't anymore. And he tried to mull over the cook's answer, to put any kind of strategic or deep or even coherent thought towards anything at all, but he just went home. He sat down in his shrine, closed his eyes, hung his head. _Robin doesn't care about you, but I...?_

**What, what? Actual... romantic progress?! Or is it something else?! Maybe I do know what I'm doing?! *cough* Too much shouting. Opinions, people! Opinions!**


	29. Der Sturm kommt

**Hi guysssssss... sorry for being dead so long. xDDx I have resolved not to say much about why the delay, but it's only fair to warn you that, aside from my Halloween new post, I don't know that I'll be posting much.**

**By the way, my baby sister turns 1 on Sunday. :)))))))) Time flies when you're not writing... ;A;**

He'd been meditating for over a week, but he wasn't ready to come up yet. There was too much to think about. There would always be too much to think about. In fact, he wasn't so sure he'd ever leave his shrine again. Never mind all he had to think about, he didn't want to risk running into the cook.

But, despite his insistence to the island's spirit that he needed to keep meditating, he was kicked out of his trance. Obviously, the island was miffed at him, too. It didn't like Robin either, Zoro decided. He and the island were in full agreement, except for the part where he was being forced to go back into the human world.

It wasn't like he didn't look forward to skewering Robin; of course he did. He just didn't know how he would handle it. Normally, if some other demon, whether it was Robin or someone else entirely, was giving him trouble, he'd just take care of them. But this time he had hang-ups. Sanji called Robin a friend. Zoro had accused Robin of all the things wrong in his life right in front of the Sanji, so if he did anything to her or if she "went missing," Sanji would blame him immediately. Rightly so, but Zoro didn't want that.

The problem Zoro found himself facing was that Robin had been very much in the wrong. _No, that's not exactly it_, he thought with a frown. The thing was, he had to act fast. She was encroaching on his territory and she had been for a while. He couldn't think of why he'd let things get that far, but it was a very serious situation. It was his island and, as a demon, he had his place in the hierarchy to protect, regardless of what any particular humans felt.

_I could tell him that, I guess,_ Zoro thought, glancing at the door of his little shrine. He didn't think it would go over too well, but he had to do something. A week was already too long to wait to attack someone over territory. That had been his courtesy period, he decided, thinking of all the things Robin had done, all the cryptic words she'd spoken, in her mysterious attempts to sabotage him for no apparent reason. The cook be damned; he was done waiting.

oOo

Her evil stink filled the air as he approached the deceptively bright lion's den she called home. Five other demons, in Zoro's time as the island's guardian, had lived on that same street for varying lengths of time, all of whom Zoro had liked better than he liked Robin. Zoro remembered that three of them had been living there when Robin moved in. They had all left abruptly and without notice at about the same time, to Zoro's memory. That was another thing he could pin on Robin.

"My, my. It certainly took you long enough. Did you get lost on your own island again, Swordsman-san?" Robin was sitting on her little front steps with a small, cracking-leather-bound book in her lap. She didn't even bother to look up.

Zoro glared at her. "I was considering the humans who can't see your hideous soul," he spat, standing in front of her in a flash. "But I have decided it's okay if they're a little upset, as long as I'm rid of you."

Robin glanced up at him, then stared off behind his head, surprised. Strangely, openly surprised. "Really?" she questioned, closing her book carefully. "You're going to let Cook-san believe you killed me? Forgive me, I haven't courted or been courted seriously in quite some time, but that seems a bad approach."

"No one said anything about courting anybody!" Zoro snapped quickly, his mind sticking to the thought a little longer than he would've liked. "And don't bring that shitty cook into this! It doesn't matter to me what a human thinks about this situation. This is between you and me!"

"Is it just? I thought by now you would now this goes far beyond you and I, Swordsman-san. Far beyond," Robin told him, standing up from her porch and handing her book back down to the concrete with two spare arms that emerged from the palm of its predecessor's hand.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll handle the higher-ups when I get to them. You're the only one I've got a problem with," he said, grasping a sword in each hand.

Nico Robin gave a little laugh. "I wasn't speaking of them, though you will have some trouble when they hear of this," she mentioned offhandedly. "What I meant to say was I thought you would know by now how _important_ some people are and how bad it would be for you if I just... disappeared."

His comeback or rebuttal or snarl of a man without patience was interrupted by the sudden and baffling lack of someone to shout it at. Robin had run away or otherwise vanished without so much as a breeze left behind. Zoro knew very few people who could do that and none of them, up to that point, had been Robin. _She must've been practicing_, Zoro thought. Then it hit him that she would have been planning it. That she could have had some kind of failsafe to keep him from killing her. He had barely thought the words before he took off running, searching for her.

Robin's scent was everywhere. It burned his nose like vinegar, only he couldn't trace it. He searched through the town, through the small villages around the edges of the island, and in all the hiding places he had ever discovered, but the smell never grew stronger and it never faded. Whatever trick she'd used, it was a new one on him, and it was damn effective.

And then something occurred to him. If she was looking to screw him over, which seemed like the goal she was getting at, her last words being "how bad it would be for you if I just disappeared" seemed to call up a very straightforward plan. She'd disappeared herself. He didn't know how or why, but Zoro was sure that, before long, he would be hearing from the humans and they would not be happy. The thought crossed his mind that he never should have gone to talk to Robin, but that was a useless detail after the fact. He was already turning in circles looking for her; there wasn't a thing he could think of that would change what had already happened.

Zoro looked around and around as an urge to scream in frustration built in his chest. There was nothing he could do. Nothing. No matter what her intentions were, he couldn't find her, he couldn't stop her, and he couldn't protect anyone from her or her plans. He was powerless.

oOo

Trash duty. They'd put him on goddamn trash duty. He was the assistant head chef and had been for years; how did they still think they could make him take out the trash? No—better still, why was he _doing_ it? He could have refused. How the _hell_ did they talk him into taking out the garbage?

Sanji threw the bag of waste into the big green Dumpster behind the restaurant. He shook his head, confused and annoyed more than was necessary for something little like being tricked into doing a basic chore. He knew that when he went back in a minute later, griping about garbage, he would just be overreacting. Sanji sighed and leaned against the cleanest spot that he could find on the brick building. He wished desperately that he could close his eyes and wake up in a life where trash duty was all he_ had_ to overreact about. When he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.

A sound like some unidentifiable animal call, a muted little noise that was both deep and high and, he told himself, could be easily imitated by a human, came from nearby. Sanji froze. _Could have been imagined_, he thought, turning slowly towards the phantom sound. It had been over a week since he'd heard from _that_ person, but the last time he _had_ heard from him, he had first thought that person was an animal hiding in the alley. As unlikely as it was and as ready as he thought he was to handle _him_, Sanji hoped to God no one was there.

"Hello?" Sanji called, timidly, he thought, which was not a good thing. "Is anyone there?"

A shadow moved ominously between two buildings across the service alley from him, which was unusual anyway, since there weren't any trees around and he hadn't heard anyone else moving around, never mind the fact that it was daytime. He should've been able to see what that was, he wanted to reason to himself, but that would not have made him feel any better.

"It's a little early to be skulking around, don'tcha think?" Sanji said loudly with a forced little laugh. There was no response, not even a stir in the shadows. Sanji shook his head, turning fully towards the mysterious faction of the alley. "There's nothing there," he told himself aloud. "I'm just being paranoid."

The restaurant's back door swung open violently and one of the chefs, the one with a snake neck-tattoo, stepped out exuding caveman-like grace. He looked at Sanji a jerked his calloused thumb over his shoulder, indicating the restaurant. "Owner says git yer ass back in there!" Neck-Tattoo grunted loudly and retreated back into the building before Sanji could give him a two-word message for the old man.

Sanji grumbled to himself about how the old fart wouldn't survive without him, even as he rooted through his own pants pockets in search of an excuse to stay out longer. Lately his work, his greatest passion, had nearly been the death of him. Cooking was still his favorite thing to do and he was still very good at it, but every time he got lost in his art his mind wandered back to things that made him want to beat his head against a wall. A cigarette wouldn't change anything, but at least it would make him feel better for a couple of minutes.

He pulled his lighter out and stared at it, turned it over in his palm a few times. There was a tingling on the back of his neck as he held the lighter between his fingers and balanced a cigarette on his lip. Sanji half-shivered, but he passed over the urge to rub the icky feeling from the back of his neck in favor of guarding the lighter against the breeze. He tried to light up, but the flame was struggling. He rolled his eyes, stupidly thinking that could be an analogy for his life, but then something hit his head and he was falling forward and everything about cigarettes and analogies and everything else came to a sudden and violent halt.

oOo

Zoro had an idea. It was a silly one that he was almost completely sure he got from human literature, but it seemed like it would work. It probably wouldn't help him find Robin; that would be a miracle. But, if it went according to his plan—which was not something he thought often—at least the humans wouldn't blame him for Robin's disappearance.

He saw a flaw in his own plan, however, which was always going to happen. Despite the flaw, he decided to go through with it. Or rather, he was leaning towards that option. But when he thought about it again, maybe he wasn't. So much for having a plan. It wouldn't do him much good if he couldn't bring himself to go against what a _single _human said.

_Didn't I already damn him?_ Zoro asked himself silently, frowning in annoyance at his own inability to just disregard the shitty cook. So what if he'd been told to stay away from the humans? It wasn't like he had to obey. He could do whatever he wanted, talk to whoever he wanted. Before anything and everything else was his image and self-preservation, Zoro reasoned, fully aware that was not true. If he wanted to go asking each of the humans he cared to talk to if they had seen Robin recently, if only to make them believe he wasn't the one that got rid of her, then he would do that. It didn't matter what Sanji said.

And yet, less than a minute later, he found himself standing on the oh-so-familiar rooftop across from the cook's bedroom window. There was no reason not to ask Sanji first, except for the fact that the blond hated him and basically told him to go away and never come back. No, never mind that, it was a terrible idea. He shouldn't be there. There were so many ways that his next interaction with the cook could go violently wrong. Zoro should start with someone who didn't hate him, he knew, but his feet could only move forward.

Zoro felt his heart doing a weird shifty thing in his chest as he crouched on the edge of the jewelry store's roof. He was nervous. He was _fucking_ nervous. He couldn't just leap for the window, ask his question and be on his merry way, he had to think of something to say, some kind of explanation. The swordsman hadn't second-guessed himself so much ever before in his life.

To avoid what little anger he felt was optional, Zoro jumped down from the roof into the alley between the restaurant and his hiding spot. He knew popping in through the window would be a horrible idea, but he also knew that he couldn't just walk in the front door, lest he be accosted in front of innocent humans by a very, _very_ aggressive chef. That in mind, Zoro walked around to the deserted back of the building. He was thinking of just running through really quickly so no one would notice him and hanging out upstairs until the cook realized there had been a supernatural breeze in a still kitchen and came looking, but then he smelled something he was all too familiar with.

_Sanji's blood,_ Zoro thought urgently, ripping the back door open so forcefully that the hinges shrieked and storming through the kitchen. He was moving too fast to be seen by anyone who wasn't paying extra-special attention, he knew that much, but the breeze he brought into the restaurant behind himself caused so much commotion he might as well have walked in there with a gun. He didn't care. He had a shitty, curly-browed blond to find.

Zoro barreled into the living area upstairs, but no one was there. He could smell the cook, but it wasn't fresh. He'd been somewhere else, somewhere nearby. Zoro balled his hands into fists and ground his teeth together without meaning to. The smell of blood wasn't strong but the cook's scent was, so it must not have been much blood and there was nothing else to suggest that anything was wrong, but Zoro had a terrible feeling like icicles in his veins. _Something happened to him. I just know it._

Just to be sure, Zoro darted back downstairs and quickly checked the dining area, the bar and the kitchen for Sanji, but he wasn't there. His scent was and his blood was, but the cook himself, the overreacting idiot who knew too much, he wasn't in or around the Baratie as far as Zoro's supernatural senses could detect.

_That doesn't mean he's missing,_ Zoro reasoned with himself, blowing back through the kitchen and out the back door. The smell of Sanji's blood arose once again, warm and alarmingly fresh, and Zoro skidded on his heels to slow down so he could locate it. There was almost a visible trail of blood-scent that Zoro followed almost too quickly to see the small puddle still oozing outward slowly on the coarse pavement. "Shit," he cursed, left with nothing else to do. That blood—that was it. The trail ended there. That was the last place Sanji had been, Zoro confirmed after sprinting a few meters in either direction, but that was impossible. If that was the last place he had been, he would still be there.

_Robin._

Sometimes his brain just spat things out that were irrelevant or otherwise wrong, but this time he was sure. He didn't just want to blame her, it _had_ to be her. It was too much of a coincidence that she had disappeared literally without a trace only minutes before Sanji disappeared leaving behind only a sign of violence and ill-will. It _had_ to be Robin.

Zoro cursed to himself in the language of his people, darting back and forth within a wide invisible circle. He should have known she was planning something drastic. He should have felt it before now that she knew exactly how to get to him. Of course she had. Everything she'd ever said to him about the humans echoed in his head with the added annoyance of Robin's chuckle alongside every word. His frustration was reaching the exploding point before the full extent of the situation figuratively beat him over the head.

All of the humans.

_Everything she'd ever said to him about __**all the humans**__. _ just Sanji_. All _of them_._

_Shit._

Zoro booked it to Luffy's house, the nearest one to Sanji's, and nearly slammed right through the front door. He stopped himself mere inches from the door, even though he was sure Luffy would be completely okay with him breaking the threshold if he was home. His nerves were jumping, his muscles were tense, his only thoughts were worrying and cussing, but he could still function somewhat rationally. Before his compelling need to break something completely eclipsed his thoughts, Zoro realized that he could hear Luffy talking.

"_Oh no! Usopp, that's cheating!"_

And then Usopp: "_Hahahaha, you're just a sore los- Hey! No special moves! We agreed!"_

That was marginally alarming, but Zoro had heard similar arguments several times in the past when he would circle the island. They were only playing a game. They were fine. Had Robin not gotten to them yet? Or did she really only want Sanji? Zoro couldn't tell.

He was halfway to convincing himself to stand guard outside Luffy's house before he remembered a time when Robin had brain-washed Nami into helping her with her plan. If Robin was planning anything with the humans, Zoro thought, she would definitely take Nami.

Zoro ran to the orchard that the redhead called home, hoping but not expecting to catch Robin in the act of kidnapping Nami. However, what he found confused him further, because Nami was bickering amongst the trees with the blue-haired girl Zoro assumed was her sister. Noriko or some such—but that wasn't important. The important thing was Robin wasn't there and neither was her scent, nor her presence. The premises was Robin-free so either she only took Sanji or someone else was at work here. _But Sanji's still the only one missing…_

The swordsman was becoming more and more disconcerted every second. Most of his thoughts were _Why?_ or _Sanji!_ and none of them were coherent. He had almost no idea what was going on, but he didn't like it one bit. Sanji shouldn't be in the middle of things, especially not by himself. And, of course, if anything happened to Sanji, it would be on Zoro's conscience for decades to come. Nothing ever would have happened to any of the humans if it weren't for Zoro and his "friends" in bad places.

Zoro could not unclench his fists and he had to work for the same effect on his jaw. He wanted to roar, to yell louder than any other sound ever to be made on the island and, for God's sake, why couldn't he just _think_? If he had a clear mind for even a minute, he felt sure he'd know what to do or where to go, but he couldn't think. All the focus he had was going towards not trying to run in every direction at once and slicing down anything in his path and-

There it was. The smell. The spicy, warm, soft, intricate scent of the cook, the one he was sprinting after as soon as it hit him. He didn't know where he was going, just that the messy line he was cutting across the island was leading him towards Sanji.

And the coast. He processed the smell of salt water just a half second before he broke out of the trees and was suddenly knee-deep in the ocean. He stopped for a moment to process where he was and where Sanji was and what was going on, but a very much larger distraction was right in front of him. A caravel ship. The Going Merry.

Zoro took quick, stumbling steps to the dock. He hoisted himself up and faced the ship and he couldn't say he was surprised at what he saw. That did not mean it didn't enrage him.

Sitting on the edge of the boat, legs crossed and looking as calm as ever was Robin, of course. She was grinning at him, a broader grin than he'd seen her wear in centuries. Lying next to her with his head in her lap was Sanji, dead-eyed and motionless. Zoro could hear a steady human heartbeat, presumably the cook's, but the fact that he was alive didn't bring Zoro much comfort.

"I can almost see the gears turning in your head, Swordsman-san. Do you finally realize how serious I am about gaining full access to your island?" Robin called down, stroking the cook's hair gently.

Zoro drew his swords in record time and lunged for Robin-

"Ah-ah-ah," she taunted, caressing Sanji's throat. "I _strongly_ advise you hear me out before doing anything _rash_."

He stopped. He had to. She'd backed him into a corner with her vague threats where all he could do was glare at her.

"That's better," she cooed. Her hand did not move from the cook's neck. The cook didn't appear to have noticed any of it. Zoro knew that was most likely the case.

"What do you want?" Zoro gritted out between fiercely clenched teeth.

Robin's smile soured. "I've told you already. I _have_ been telling you, _Roronoa Zoro-san_, ever since I arrived on this island, that all I want is your permission. Full guest privileges or however you want to call it. All I want, all I have ever wanted, is to be aligned with you and your island," she told him, darkness overtaking her blue eyes.

"I'm not going to allow you to live here. I know you're planning something past this," Zoro snapped, glowering up at her. "There's no way all you want is my permission." He remembered in that moment the day she arrived on the island. It was not the first time he'd seen her, but that knowledge of her did not indicate friendliness, even at that time. She had asked him right away, after more than a century apart, for his official permission to dwell on his island. Obviously he had said no, and he could find no reason at present to change his opinion on the matter.

Nico Robin smiled at him again, the smile of everything wicked, and pushed Sanji's hair back to frame his blank face. "I am sorry to hear your _staunch_ refusal, but I cannot truthfully say I haven't been looking forward to it."

Before Zoro could question her, Robin lifted the lifeless blond's head and brought his neck up to her lips. Zoro's blood stopped in his veins.

Robin smirked at him. "If you don't give me your blessing," she began, visibly tightening her hold on the cook, "I will turn this boy, who I know you adore, into a demon like me."

**:O**

**That was has been a long time coming. And exactly where I wanted it to be! What luck! :D There are so many "EEEEE, I can't believe I just did that!"s that I could put here, but I am pressed for time. Anyway... What do you think?**


	30. Ich bin das Gesetz

**It's taken a long time, I know, and I'm sorry but life and Christmas and GAHHHHH.**

**Title roughly means "I am the law."**

He could feel something sinister all around him. There were voices and scenes, but he couldn't focus on either. His head hurt and he was lying down—sort of. Was he sitting up? It was hard to tell. Had he hit his head? There was no particular spot of hurt. Perhaps he had fallen asleep on the couch with a headache. But the last thing he remembered was taking out the trash in the afternoon…

"… you want?"

"… told you… been telling you… arrived… permission… want to call it… ever wanted… aligned with you… island."

The most confusing tidbits seemed to be the only ones reaching his brain. He recognized the voices even though he could barely hear them, but he couldn't exactly put his finger on who they belonged to in his mind. Somehow, through his clouded consciousness, he got the feeling that he was in a dangerous place.

He tried to open his eyes, unable to see anything that he could remember. Everything he saw—flashes of trees, blurs of blue—just went right out of his head. Where was he? Were those trees? Was that water? He didn't know. He didn't know anything at all. He could hear things, but then he couldn't remember. What was going on? Was he dreaming? It was impossible to tell.

"… not going… live here… planning something… no way… permission."

A small ember of a memory stuck with him, a voice, recorded in his mind such that he could hear the words, but he still couldn't remember whose it was. A man—a man he had mixed feelings about—with a deep voice, an angry voice. A fight? It sounded aggressive, but there was only one voice, wasn't there? That didn't make sense. But then there was a woman's voice that was also deep, but smooth and conniving and familiar and—what was he thinking about again?

"… sorry to… refusal… truthfully say… looking forward…"

His vision flickered in and out, but he glimpsed sand and pebbles and bushes and a person and then everything was coal-grey again and what had he seen? He couldn't remember. An ache was building behind his eyes and all he wanted was to go back to sleep. The "back" part of that was an assumption on his part, but if he had not been sleeping before then he should just go to sleep.

"… your blessing…"

His position had changed, he noticed, perhaps only because it was uncomfortable.

"… this boy… you adore… demon…"

oOo

"No."

Robin's eyebrows raised as that one word sank in. At first she tried to process it further, but then every possible way she could think of that he might have meant it did not align with her expectations of him. Even if he was telling her "no," she could not turn Sanji into a demon, that calm tone did not match up with any reaction she'd ever seen from Zoro before. But she could see in his sharp glare that he most certainly did care for the human boy, so it was not an uncaring nonchalance in his voice. It was perplexing and, in that situation where Sanji was the only thing keeping Zoro's wrath away, alarming.

"Why, Swordsman-san," Robin began, crafting a retort to hide her confusion. Her lack of control over the situation was getting to dangerous levels, far lower than the amount she preferred to have under completely nonlethal conditions, let alone a situation where she could be in danger.

"Save it woman. I don't want to hear and of your confusing bullshit. Just give him to me and everybody lives," Zoro growled, interrupting whatever would have been the end of her sentence. "I'm not going to give you permission to stay on my island, not when you just threatened one of my humans. Even if I forgave all the shit you've done over the past few months, which would never happen, I could not pardon this. Not ever."

For the first time in her very long demonhood, she could feel a legitimate threat. But that's not quite it, she thought. She'd been threatened many times in all her years, but she had never been scared. Not by the company she kept, not by the world government, not even when she was young. Maybe fleetingly, maybe mildly, maybe illogically, but nothing like what she was feeling right then. The smoldering in his eyes—an ever-present feature of anguish and motivation in Zoro—had been kindled by anger and perhaps by Robin's very presence until it was burning brighter than she had ever seen before in one of their kind.

Composing herself from what felt like a slack-jawed expression, Robin smiled tightly. "Now, Swordsman-san, you know I can't do that. All I want is to live on this island at peace with you. Now, if that's off the table, I may have to do something about my bargaining chip, here." That wasn't all a complete lie. She had to do something with Sanji to make Zoro more agreeable, and cohabitating peacefully was one of her desires, but she had to keep playing it vague like she had been up to that point, even if Zoro didn't quite believe her.

Robin lifted the lifeless blond head up to brush cheeks with Sanji. Zoro's whole body flinched as one enraged muscle. She hadn't been paying much attention to the human resting half on the railing of the ship and half in her lap. Maybe that had been where she went wrong, she realized. As an experiment, Robin turned her head an inch and gently pressed a kiss to the corner of the cook's lips.

"Don't fucking touch him!" Zoro roared, charging forward a few steps before Robin made him aware of her clawed hand on Sanji's throat.

"You may own this island," Robin said with a smirk, "but you do not own this boy. I can do as I please with him." She stroked Sanji's cheek with the back of her hand and his blank eyes flickered with life. "Don't you agree, Cook-san?"

The blond human's lips peeled slowly apart from each other and some kind of croak noise escaped him that was almost drowned out by the sound of Zoro inhaling sharply. "…Ye-yes… ma'am…," Sanji groaned, sounding robotic and gravelly.

Robin looked to Zoro, her grin growing wider at the sight of him. His eyes were almost popping out of his head and his jaw was clenched so tightly shut that she could hear his teeth grinding together. His hands held tightly to two swords, but his feet did not move. _Good_, she thought. _It seems he has realized who is going to win in this battle of wills._

"Let him go," Zoro implored her through his teeth, sounding not nearly as threatening as he looked. His voice allowed her to glimpse his heart and by that small window, she could tell victory was near.

"I may not do this kind of thing very often, Swordsman-san, but I know how this works. You give me what I want, and then I release the object of your desires," Robin told him. Perhaps she was being too cruel in the way that she was playing it, but she was going to hell anyway. Might as well make the most of the journey.

A primal, demonic growl that brought joy to her heart and a tingle to her spine broke through the air. It sounded like a last-ditch effort if she'd ever heard one.

"But he's not an object!" Zoro roared with the voice of the island.

A razor wind kicked up out of nowhere, blowing furiously at Robin. She called forth a protective dome of arms around herself and Sanji as quickly as she could, but the wind left scratches on both of them and nearly knocked her back onto the deck before her light-tight shield was completed. In the darkness, she pushed the cook away and righted herself to the best of her abilities in the confined space. She hadn't been expecting that. She'd battled many demons, most of them strong, but she had never seen any of them do that. Once, when she and Zoro were much younger, she had seen him utilize the power of his island, but that had been a long time ago and, she thought, a fluke. _More interesting by the minute, Swordsman-san…_

The ship swayed and the deck creaked with the force of the wind. Robin listened for Zoro, but the only sounds filtering into her protective dome of limbs were those of the wind and sea, restless with supernatural power. That made her uneasy. She couldn't smell anything besides the cook, the sea and her own aura, she couldn't hear anything useful and it was pitch black. Zoro could be anywhere doing anything, and she would have no idea. Their positions were shifting in Zoro's favor, and she didn't like that at all.

oOo

She'd encased herself in a creepy shield of identical arms, but that wasn't about to stop him. He could still feel the strength of the entire island mixing with his own and with that combined power he drew his third sword. He realized then that he didn't really want to kill Robin, or even torture her, but it was too late. She'd crossed a line he hadn't fully aware of and now he felt he wouldn't be able to stop himself.

"Robin!" Zoro called, the island echoing a monstrous version of his own voice. "You should have just let him go!"

Though he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, nothing happened and he was surprised. The dome of arms did not waver by any other force than the gale wind he'd created, and he could hear nothing from the inside. That was probably for the best, he figured, since that provided no opportunity for Robin to change his mind, but it only alarmed him. If he never heard from Robin again it'd be too soon, but he needed to hear Sanji. At the very least. He would rather see him—better yet have his hands on him. But that sounded bad, even if it was true and only in his head, and no matter what he _wanted_ to do there was still one big witch of an obstacle between him and his human.

Zoro crouched down low and set his favored sword between his teeth. The demonic energy in his veins flared up with the island's power and he launched himself across meters and meters of open space in a single bound. He landed on the main deck of the ship so heavily that Robin's arm-shield quivered and the ship dipped into the water as if in the middle of a storm, somehow all without a sound. He lowered his head and put his arms back in a stance he didn't often use. "Last chance, Robin," Zoro called around the sword in his mouth.

Again, nothing happened. _God damn it,_ Zoro thought, trying not to grind his fangs into the grip of his sword. He wouldn't have given her any mercy even if she had come out and released Sanji, but he really hoped she would take the out he'd offered.

The swordsman leaped once and slashed expertly with all three swords at the fortress of arms. As he landed on the other side of Robin another wind, stinging with ocean spray, ripped across the deck in the wake of his swords, and Robin's arm-shield shattered into millions of flower petals.

Not a glance was spared for Robin. Zoro's eyes went right to Sanji, who was lying on the deck, his glassy eyes mostly closed and apparently sleeping. There were tiny cuts all over his face and neck and Zoro was getting worked up about them at Robin before he remembered he had been the one to put them there. He'd make up for that later, even though it was the fault of the island, but for now he had to finish Robin.

Even as he was readying his next strike, she was creating more arms in a bigger dome around herself and Sanji. A pair of arms came out of the deck by Zoro's feet and hooked around his ankles, presumably to slow him down, but it didn't even come close to working. Zoro slashed at the growing dome with two swords and all the arms disappeared again in a cloud of petals.

"You're going to hurt the human," Robin purred in her demon voice, forming another arm-shield, this time a large square wall between her and Zoro.

The swordsman flicked his wrist and the wall was desecrated. "I won't."

Robin crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Limbs upon limbs manifested from the deck and even from the air, moving towards him like a flock of angry seagulls. "We shall see," Robin said, invisible behind her swarm of arms.

Zoro vanquished the flock of arms in a single swipe and ventured closer to Robin and Sanji. "All you'll see is the sharp end of my blade," Zoro growled. As Robin built up more appendages, Zoro slashed them away. She wasn't treating him like a serious threat, he could tell, but she would regret that very soon. The swordsman slashed twice and jabbed at Robin. She summoned another shield to try and stop his sword, but she was sitting down and he was lunging powerfully and without hesitation or caution he cut a stripe over her right hip.

Robin gasped very quietly and the blood began to flow She placed a natural hand over the wound and crimson seeped through the cracks of her fingers. Her eyes darkened. She hoisted herself from the deck with a burst of energy so strong it was visible and raised her head to look at Zoro.

He shouldn't have hesitated. He had waited as a reflex—a courtesy in a fair fight. But this was not a fair fight. The second she was up, Robin was forming arms from all over Zoro's body, leaving him no time to bat them away before she had lifted him off the ship and launched him out into the ocean.

Zoro dumbly tried to catch his footing on the open water and found himself landing flat on his back with a hard smack. His breath left him in a flurry of bubbles, making a trail all the way down to where his back touched the sandy bottom of the shallow water. The female arms had disappeared when he hit the water, leaving Zoro alone and out of breath with an uncooperative spine in an almost peaceful location. His muscles protested loudly at his attempt to push himself up. It had been far too long since he'd last trained properly and he would have to make up for that later, after he unquestionably rescued Sanji.

The swordsman hauled ass under water back towards the ship, keeping his eyes trained on the anchor. Swimming was awkward with a sword in either hand and one between his teeth, which he was slowly losing grip on, but his strength and speed as a demon made it easy to tread water all the way up to the side of the ship. He had been so far out that he couldn't see Robin's face clearly, but in a matter of seconds he had bumped in to the hull. Zoro pushed away from the ship and surfaced, inhaling blood-scented air.

He wasn't above water for more than a second before a pair of arms emerged from the side of the ship. The arms reached around and locked fingers behind Zoro's head and pushed him back down into the water. Zoro had a very loose grip on his swords at that point, but it was enough to cut the arms into petals and keep himself from drowning.

Zoro scaled the side of the ship past set after set of arms and hauled himself up on deck. Robin was standing in the middle of the deck holding Sanji flush against her body and baring her teeth.

"You tried to drown me," Zoro spat, glancing at Sanji before lunging at Robin with two swords. "That's not how you earn forgiveness."

Robin spun away from Zoro's attack as casually as in a dance. "Don't read too much into it, Swordsman-san. And, to be fair, you stabbed me first," Robin said with a dark chuckle.

Zoro slashed harder and faster in an x shape, but Robin rotated out of the way again, using an extra pair of legs to completely remove herself from danger. Arms came out of the deck to trip Zoro, luring him into the dance with Robin. Every time he moved forward, Robin moved back, and then an arm would appear and he would swerve. It went back and forth like that, faster each second, but Robin wasn't slipping up, so Zoro would not.

"We're in a stalemate, Swordsman-san," Robin purred, jumping up to the small crow's nest to thoroughly avoid Zoro's most recent attack. "If you accept my terms, we could save ourselves a lot of time and you could have your charming human back much sooner and much nicer." She grinned at him, lopsided and evil.

Zoro paused, first contemplating jumping up after her, but in the temporary stillness he was stopped by the appeal in her offer. He didn't like any other aspects of her proposal, but when he looked at Sanji being held against his will and yet too empty to notice, Zoro could think of nothing more important than saving the cook from Robin and her malicious smile. He did not want to give Robin free-reign on his island because he could never tell what she was up to, but he felt boxed into the decision by his overwhelming want to keep that idiotic blond human from danger.

"Ah, you're thinking it over, I see." Robin rested Sanji's lifeless body against the mast going through the middle of the crow's nest and his head lolled to one side. "That's good. At least you aren't completely closed-minded to logic."

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. "If you want me to make a decision, stop your fucking nonsense for one goddamn second!"

Robin stared flatly down at him. "Go on, then. Cook-san and I will wait."

Zoro's brain felt like a rusted-out hinge. He couldn't think. He just couldn't. He didn't come there to think, he came there to kick Robin's ass and skin her alive and now what was he doing? Thinking. Considering her goddamn motherfucking demands. And over what? A human? How far had he fallen that he was concerned about one human over the safety of his island? He should rightly, as the island's guardian, let Robin kill the man and then banish her from his island for going against the second most revered rule among demons. That would be at least a million times simpler than having to compromise between Sanji and his sworn duty.

The swordsman cursed under his breath until he'd run out of words. He sheathed his swords, two at once, and then the last one, and hung his head. "Let me look at him," Zoro ordered quietly, glaring at the wood grain of the deck.

"Pardon?" Robin called down.

Zoro growled in his throat. He glared up at Robin through his eyebrows. "Let me see if you hurt him," he spat, crossing his arms tightly over his chest to keep himself from whipping out his swords again.

Robin's eyebrows rose. She seemed to teeter on the edge of a remark, but she simmered back down very quickly. "Alright," she said, resting a hand on the edge of the crow's nest. "Step aside, please."

With little patience, Zoro took a single step back. Robin hopped over the edge of the crow's nest and fell gracefully to the deck, landing neatly on her feet. A trail of arms dotted the mast and each set sort of set itself as if holding a child, making what appeared to be ladder rungs out of arms. The cook was gently pushed out of the crow's nest and handed down by one set of arms at a time until he was put to rest lying flat on his back on the deck, looking completely peaceful.

Zoro eyed Robin warily with as much disdain as he could while moving toward the relief of his chest cavity. He knelt down beside Sanji and observed his skin, which was paler than usual, scanning for any imperfections. Half of him hoped there would be something so he would have a legitimate reason to skewer Robin, but the other half was placated by the lack of visible injuries on the cook.

"Satisfied?" Robin asked, flashing a friendlier smile than before. "I did not harm him. You may not believe me, Swordsman-san, but I am not stupid enough to harm him. I know you would not hesitate to put an end to anyone who harms him. Do you realize that, I wonder…?"

Zoro glared at the woman. He didn't want to think about her words, most definitely not in her presence, but that didn't stop a stray feeling from making itself known at the mention. "No," Zoro snubbed, looking back down at Sanji. "I'm not satisfied at all. You've been messing with him—no, all of them—too much. If you want to stay here… I'm not making any promises, but if you want to stay here you have to leave them be." Zoro stood and looked seriously at Robin. "No more mind-control. No more contact. Don't even look at the humans. You have to live in exile, just like I-"

"Like you do? You must be joking," Robin interrupted with a snort. "You may tell yourself that you are exiled and that you do not care, but that is not true in the slightest. If I were to live like you, perhaps the only aspect of my life that would change is my job. Not the _influencing_, of course, because I know you have done so as well. But if you want me to live in 'exile,' as you say, then I would be glad to jump at the chance."

Zoro's muscles twitched all over in annoyance. He imagined slicing her in half, but that wouldn't do. He couldn't just kill her, that much he realized after his murderous haze had diminished somewhat. It was against the rules. "That's not what I meant. You should like I was supposed to," he amended, "avoiding all contact with civilization and if all goes according to plan and you leave the humans the hell alone, I will live like that too, so I can keep an eye on you."

Oh shit.

He didn't mean that. Not at all. He _should_, as a responsible guardian and respectable demon, but he did not and all he could do was mentally back-pedal to the time when he had realized he was actually friends with the humans. Living apart from them—he'd been doing that for a while, as per Sanji's demand. But forever? Doomed to watch over Robin? What was he _doing_? He had the authority. He could banish her six ways to Sunday and be done with all her antics, at which point he could spend any number of hours each day contemplating each twinge in his gut regarding the humans, rather than the danger that was posed against them. Then he could truly become friends with them and take better care of his island without Robin smiling at him with her dead eyes.

"Wait," Zoro blurted.

Robin looked surprised and very like she was attempting to look amused but failing.

"No." Zoro advanced on Robin, stepping way into her personal space. "No, here's what's going to happen: I am going to do whatever the fuck I want and you are going to fucking deal with it because there is nothing on this island for you," he hissed, his face only inches from Robin's. "You aren't allowed to touch any of the humans on my island and you aren't allowed to try and leverage me into anything. Whatever you think is here, whatever you're angling for, it's not goddamn worth what I'll do to you if you don't back the fuck down."

The elder demon's eyes grew wide. She did not step away, nor make any advance. Robin was stunned for a grand fifteen or twenty seconds, and then a very small smile, her usual, nefarious little lip-twitch, broke across her face. "I see," Robin said quietly. "Oh, I do see."

Zoro could not ask what it was she "saw" or build upon his point any further; Robin had disappeared.

He waited a good long minute before making the command decision that she was not coming back and then he stooped down beside Sanji.

The cook seemed tranquil, eyes fully closed and lips parted slightly. He looked like he'd just stopped for a nap in the late-afternoon sun on the deck. Zoro thought about waking him, if only just to check and see if he was really okay, but the very notion pained him now, as he stared down at the cook. With a sigh of mixed relief and mental-exhaustion, Zoro slid one arm under Sanji's knees and the other behind the blond's neck and carried him back to his shrine.


	31. Eine Menge von erklären müssen

**...Hello all. 'Tis I, indeed, That One Writer That Forgot She Hadn't Updated Since December And It's June Now And That's Pretty Sad. That is my title now. Feel free to kill me. I'll be here.**

**All other things aside, I hope nobody gave up on me. ;) I will finish this story (though the ending that I had in sight has moved significantly further out) and I will, hopefully, be moving a bit faster. There is much drama in my life right now, but I am still writing and I have you all to thank for that, you annoying little bastards, you~ 3**

**Enjoy!**

It was dark. Cold, damp, and dead quiet. He didn't remember what he'd been doing last, but he felt like he'd fallen asleep without blankets, on the floor, after taking a shower. But wasn't it daytime? A vague memory of smoking in the middle of the day, which really could've been from any day at all, surfaced slowly in his brain and, very, very carefully, Sanji opened his eyes.

A harsh light filtered into his vision from somewhere, bright orange like sunrise or sunset, which caused Sanji to flinch and quickly shut his eyes. He lifted his heavy arms from where they'd been resting on his chest and slung them over his face roughly. He rubbed at his eyes a little with the backs of his wrists and then let his arms drape limply across his eyes, blocking out the aggressive light if only a bit. With a slow, shaky breath that he could not steady, Sanji tried again to find out where he was.

The sharpness of the light caused him to flinch again, but he kept his eyes stubbornly open, slowly adjusting. His shoulders rubbed against something hard when he moved, making him aware of an immense soreness not just there but all over his body. When he could open his eyes enough, he noticed the ceiling was unfamiliar; dark, old, slightly decayed wood instead of the solid white or light blue of all the ceilings at the restaurant. That along with the soreness caused Sanji to become very suddenly worried. He turned his head slightly to either side, noting that the walls were the same. Sanji didn't remember ever sleeping in a room like that.

Sanji tried to sit up quickly, but it wasn't happening. He pushed up with his elbows and kind of threw his torso forward just to get halfway to a sit, at which point it took more effort than he'd ever have thought necessary to sit up fully. The room was tiny—smaller than Sanji's bathroom—and completely unfurnished except for a thin blanket folded up where his head had been. He _really_ didn't recognize that place.

The cook opened his mouth to call out for someone, anyone, but interrupted himself with a wheezy coughing fit. After an extended moment of breathing and swallowing carefully, Sanji tried again, ignoring the pain brought on by coughing. "He-helloo?" Sanji cleared his throat loudly. "Hello?" he repeated.

Outside, the wind blew. It whistled into the room between the old planks of wood that made up the shoddy little quarters. Sanji shivered with the draft, even though it wasn't cold. There was an old-fashioned sliding door on his right, Sanji noticed very suddenly. It was only about a foot away, but he didn't think he could reach it. He felt like shit warmed over and he couldn't keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. Had he been drinking? Bummed a shady cigarette off one of the chefs? Blacked out for any other reason that he could more readily believe than the absolute blank he was pulling? He couldn't remember a _thing_.

oOo

He was awake now, Zoro could hear him. He was shifting around and breathing raggedly and somehow that made Zoro regret letting Robin go. The swordsman placed his swords gently in the grass beside him. He leaned his forehead against one wall of his shrine, took a deep breath, waited. Zoro would have to find a way to explain to Sanji what happened or take him home without having him find out about any of it. He didn't know why he'd brought the cook to his shrine in the first place, but he had a slew of issues to tackle because of that very poor decision.

The problem being that he didn't want to take Sanji home.

It was stupid, he knew, and he couldn't just keep a human in his shrine forever; there were laws against that. But when he thought about taking the human back to the place from which he'd been abducted that very afternoon, well, he didn't get very far before chucking the idea. Never mind he was keeping that same human in a cramped space against his will—Zoro wanted to protect Sanji.

"He-helloo? …Hello?" Sanji called from inside and Zoro's body did something bad. The island gave him away with a swift, sharp breeze.

The demon gently laid his palms flat against one outer wall of the shrine and slowly leaned his forehead against the wood between his hands. He tried to convey in thought waves and aura how very safe Sanji was with him and how he didn't have to worry, but Sanji wasn't very in tune with that stuff. Zoro could hear him starting to panic a little and shifting around, possibly trying to find his way out. "Just listen," Zoro pleaded grumpily of the wall. There came no reply.

"Where am I?" Sanji croaked from inside. It sounded like he stood up then, wobbled a little, and stepped on the sticks Zoro had left by the door for no reason other than to hear when Sanji tried to leave. Zoro flinched. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Zoro started to answer but stopped himself short. It probably wouldn't do him any good to announce his presence, since Sanji was not his biggest fan. Then again, what were his other options? Run off and let Sanji find out on his own where he was and assume Zoro kidnapped him? Or put the cook back to sleep and take him home like nothing ever happened? There were no good options, but out of the very few scenarios he could imagine, revealing himself had the most balanced result. Theoretically.

So, with a cringe of anticipation, Zoro reached over and slid the door open a couple of inches. He heard the cook jump back from the door and hold his breath like something bad was going to happen. Perhaps it was, but it would not be at Zoro's hand. If anything, Sanji became safer with the barrier between them reduced. Zoro only wished he could impress upon Sanji how true that was.

"Ow, geez," Sanji hissed, stepping on the sticks by the door again. Zoro retracted himself to the side of his shrine such that he could not be seen, just as a blond head peeked out of the small building. "Hello? Who…?" The cook stepped out of Zoro's home shakily, clearing his throat. "Who's there?"

Shit! Zoro slid silently around to the back of the shrine like the big, tough, centuries-old demon he was. He wasn't prepared for all this, he realized very suddenly and much too late. He should have taken the blond straight home to start with so that he would not have any big decisions to make or stressful conversations to have; and yet he screwed himself over by bringing Sanji to his shrine. He was pretty sure the word for that was masochism.

"I know somebody's here!" Sanji called and Zoro heard it echo through the woods. Then, much quieter, the cook said almost questioningly, "How else could that door have opened."

Zoro felt like maybe he should save himself some time and live the rest of his unnatural life in an eternal cringe. He was not well for this. In fact, he wasn't well for anything. Couldn't he take a day off from his life? Just one? No? Okay. Then he just had to put on his big boy britches and deal with it like a man. Simple. Yeah.

It wasn't his best line and, when he thought about it, it was also not comforting, but Zoro said: "Don't flip your shit."

Why that was the first thing to pop into his mind, the world may never know. But, one certain inhabitant of the world would likely never forget those as some of the worst possible words that could have been said at that moment.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sanji had whirled around to look at Zoro, jumping about a foot in the air with shock at the same time. The blond's jaw went slack and for a fantastic, merciful moment, he didn't say anything or give any other reaction at all. In fact, after a spike of surprise, the cook's pulse tumbled down to a melodic calm rate that wasn't anything but good news for Zoro. However, the pleasant reaction ended there.

"You," Sanji said, very mildly accusing. "Of course it's you. Why would anyone else disrupt my day, no, my _life_, when you have been doing a fantastic job of it so far?"

oOo

It was hard for him to keep utter relief from entering his words. There was a moment in the silence before Zoro revealed himself—which he would get back to in a minute, after he was through being relieved—during which he had remembered flashes, brief, dark instances of a vivid dream. One that he did not want to remember, he decided. It was not a good dream, and it felt too real. So, so real, although at the same time it was impossible. Something with the ocean, a very lot of darkness, angry shouting. It was blurry, but he felt it very strongly, disturbingly so; as if the looming antagonist of that distant dream were still watching him.

But it was only Zoro there. The eerie silence was broken by _just_ Zoro, which should not have been a thing that comforted Sanji, but it did. He felt better and he was thankful for that, but it was still irritating and there were many more important things to be thinking about and handling rather than his own emotional comfort. Including, but not limited to, how the _fuck_ did he get there?

"Let me explain-" Zoro put his hands up defensively like he thought Sanji would blow up at any moment, but that was not what was going to happen. He was upset, yes, but he was not going to blow up.

"You don't have to," Sanji interrupted, nodding slowly. Words came to him steadily, like a prepared speech, only his brain didn't know what the words were until they left his mouth. "All the explaining you needed to do has been done. The only thing I want to know now is _why_ you brought me here today." That wasn't what he wanted to say at all. There were so many things he wanted to know and, of course, that was the most pressing question, but he was tired of always being at odds with his subconscious.

Zoro started to respond, but Sanji raised a hand to silence him. "Wait," Sanji said snappishly, pinching the bridge of his nose. His head pounded once, from behind his eye all the way to the base of his skull, but he tried to get himself under control in spite of it. "I don't know what I'm saying, just... Please do, for God's sake, explain." His eyes had been closed, he realized, and when he opened them he saw surprise on Zoro's face. Sanji gestured impatiently with his hands and looked away, unsure what else to say or do.

"Thank you," Zoro said carefully, lowering his head and looking up through his eyelashes at Sanji. "U-uh... I- What was I saying?"

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. He didn't want to go back on what he said, but the surprised stuttering didn't make it easier to hear him out. "You were going to explain," Sanji said patiently, "why I woke up in that shrine and can't remember why or how I got here."

The demon made a small pained noise. "R-right... shit." He scratched the back of his head, scrunching one of his eyes. "That's not... going to be easy," Zoro said, very slowly, "but, if you just... _try _to understand-_really_ try-then..."

He was tiptoeing around it, whatever it was. He was acting like Sanji would have some kind of breakdown at any moment and, hell, maybe he would, but it was irritating to listen to the careful rambling. "Just spit it out," Sanji snapped. The cook was being as patient as he could be, letting Zoro speak in the first place; there was no way he could just stick it out and listen to what Zoro had to say without doing something about that damn stuttering. "I know you aren't a delicate person so stop beating around the bush and tell me already. I asked because I want answers and I want them _now_."

"Okay," Zoro said, "okay, okay... First, I had no choice. You have to know that." Zoro paused, his expression hardening. Sanji thought he was waiing for an acceptance or something, but the cook needed more information before he could believe, let alone agree to, Zoro's innocence. After a sizeable silence, Zoro continued with a stony look on his face. "I brought you here to protect you, Sanji. You were in danger and I-"

"How was I in danger?" Sanji interrupted, giving a little more attitude than he meant to. He tried to stop himself from going further, but he was carried by the momentum of his ever-present temper. "I was at work, right? At work, at _my house_. What the hell did you save me from, Mister _Hero_?"

Zoro's already sharp expression became piercing, but Sanji didn't flinch. "For your information, shit-cook, I saved you from a demon and it _wasn't_ the first time," Zoro snapped, stepping forward faster than Sanji was ready for and jabbing his finger at the cook's chest. "I have _always_ just protected you and I _always_ will, even though you seem to think I'm some heartless _devil_."

Somehow that made him freeze. There was a tick in the back of his mind, like an old memory being dusted off, but he just couldn't see it. However, it was, in his mind, the truth. He could not bring himself-though he very much wanted to-to believe that was a lie. It was so dumbfounding, all he could do was stare while he tried to think why he believed Zoro.

oOo

Zoro could see then that Sanji believed him. It was a slow dawning, a loosening of facial muscles, and then a meeting of the eyes. "If," Sanji said slowly, "_if_ that is true, then why did you take me here? Why not home? And why don't I remember anything?" He seemed to be building up steam again after calming to consider Zoro's words, so the demon had to answer quickly before things went south.

"Because your house is where you were taken from," Zoro told him, shaking his head, "and that wasn't the first time, either. I didn't think it was safe and I-" He stopped abruptly on _I couldn't stand to leave you_. He needed to tell the cook many things, but that wasn't one of them. So, he smoothly covered: "Your memories were wiped. Or, no, you weren't really conscious the whole time."

Sanji's jaw dropped. "W-wipe- Hold on." The cook put up a hand which was shaking horribly. He bobbled on his feet a little and looked off at something past Zoro's head. "Like- like that time right after..." Sanji trailed off and Zoro watched the conclusions leaping behind his eyes. Slowly, Sanji's open palm turned into a pointing finger. "So, you...?"

"No." Zoro wanted to attempt a trick of the more experienced demons, something like a temporary mind-link which would allow Sanji to see for himself what all happened, just so that the cook could know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Zoro was not at fault. But, that kind of thing required a lot more trust than was currently between them. "The only reason you remember that time is because I attempted to wipe the memories that you shouldn't have had and that's all it was: an attempt. I couldn't do it then and I haven't since," he told Sanji, so serious it hurt. At some point, he thought he should consider cutting off his prodigious truth-telling and form some kind of strategy, but he didn't have the ability to think that much right then. However, he had this wonderful feeling that, when Sanji had the whole truth, the cook would be able to form a plan for the both of them.

Sanji seemed to mull over Zoro's words for a long while, nodding slowly in a way that didn't really indicate agreement. "Okay," he said, very hesitantly. With a narrow look, he asked, "If not you, then who?"

It wasn't accusing or angry, just a question, and Zoro found himself realizing that he'd been on the receiving end of questions like that from Sanji in similar situations before-perfectly patient, reasonable questions in rather unreasonable circumstances-and taken it completely for granted by overreacting. This time, he would not make the same mistake. Perhaps staring dumbstruck was a step in the wrong direction, but he felt like it was an improvement. "You... would not believe me," he said, exceedingly cautious, and it was something he had actually thought about. The way that the cook acted around and about Robin, the witch woman, showed that he would be, at the very least, extremely reluctant to believe she was guilty.

Contrary to what Zoro thought would happen-Sanji agreeing that he wouldn't believe Zoro-the cook recoiled, offended. "I beg your pardon? I asked a question, I want the answer, whether you _think_ I'll believe you or not!" Sanji said, poking Zoro's chest firmly and leaving his finger there, right over Zoro's heart as some kind of intimidation technique. Zoro was not intimidated, but he _was_ surprised. However, he didn't think that the cook had any idea what he was asking for.

"Who it was..." Zoro trailed off, finding himself being stared uncomfortably intensely in the eyes. With a cough, he ammended, "It doesn't matter who it was. It's not going to happen again."

Sanji made a high cough noise, looking at Zoro like he was being so blindly stupid. "'It doesn't matter?' 'It's not going to happen again?'" he questioned, being as sarcastic as Zoro had ever heard him. "How crazy do you think I am? Of course it fucking _matters_! And who was it saying just a minute ago that this isn't the first time? Not going to happen again, my ass!" Sanji turned his back to Zoro, waving an emphatic dismissive hand and scoffing but not saying another word.

Zoro felt that he would have been mad, normally, at Sanji's heavy implication that Zoro could not be trusted to keep him safe, but he found himself taking note of the pause. It seemed, though he was hardly any good at figuring these kinds of things, that Sanji was allowing him time to talk. So, with as much care as he could possibly put into the words, Zoro began, "Don't be stupid."

The cook whirled around in record time, already beginning what the vein in his forehead promised would be a long, angry rant, but Zoro cut him off.

"Hear me out," Zoro said peaceably, waving very subtly for Sanji to stop. The cook huffed loudly and crossed his arms, but he still bit his tongue and let Zoro talk. The demon almost _forgot_ to talk, he was so surprised. "Uh... Oh. Yeah, uh, the thing is, before... I wasn't really- I mean, I was protecting you, of course, all of you, but I was also... keeping my distance." He paused, considering his own words and thinking through the idea he was about to propose without previously putting very much thought into it. But there was no backing out. "This time, I won't."

The most important heartbeat skipped once. Sanji frowned and crossed his arms tighter, perhaps trying to mask his real reaction. Despite the gravity of the situation, Zoro felt himself smile.

"What-" Sanji cleared his throat. "What do you mean by that?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. He had thought they were past playing dumb. Maybe he hadn't been clear enough. "I mean I'm not going to keep my distance anymore so I can protect you." He tried not to sound questioning or amused, but he was sure he had.

"No," Sanji said, shaking his head with a deep crease in his brow. "I told you to stay away from them-from all of us. You can't- No!" The cook abruptly uncrossed his arms, shoved one hand in his pocket and pointed at Zoro with the other. "You don't have my permission. If you get near us, I'll-"

"I don't need your permission," Zoro interrupted. Somehow, the conversation amused him. He had no idea why, but when Sanji spoke he just wanted to laugh. There was something in his tone, maybe, that put Zoro in that inappropriately bubbly state of mind. Whatever it was, he almost couldn't stop a ludicrous giggle. Almost. "I am the guardian of this island. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, regardless of what any human says," he told Sanji with a matter-of-fact hand gesture.

The cook spluttered, his face reddening. "What the fuck even-? No, lemme get this straight- You're going to completely disregard what I've said and talk some shitty nonsense about guardian or what the fuck ever and, in addition to that, you're not going to tell me who _abducted_ me?" His voice was shrill and incredulous and he was gesturing like a madman as he spoke, even though he was basically summarizing all that Zoro had said. "Don't you see how this could make it hard for me to trust you?"

He tried to think about it, he really did, but he was reading cues that Sanji probably didn't know he was giving. The blond trusted him enough to still be standing there, not even trying to harm Zoro, and that was enough. He barely even came across as angry, despite making such a show of how slighted he felt. Sanji was trying, putting in a valiant effort, and if all Zoro could take from was his voice and his posture he might believe it. But he saw everything, heard everything, _smelled_ everything. He sensed all of it and he knew it would not be a hard argument to win if he just got the words right. "No," he said casually, "I think you trust me. And that's about the best thing you could _do_ to stay safe. All of you. No one would _dare_ mess with you if they knew you were with me."

A curly eyebrow twitched. "You don't seem to understand that this is serious," Sanji said, half-sigh, half-groan. He rubbed his face, temporarily smudging the intense frown on his face. "This... You... God, I wish I didn't feel crazy for two seconds so I could just say how absurd everything is, but I don't have any words anymore. I can't do this." Something akin to defeat colored Sanji's voice and that was, perhaps, among all the nice surprises he'd received that day, the most disturbing.

"You don't have to do anything," Zoro said by way of explanation, though he didn't really understand what "this" Sanji couldn't do. Didn't he understand that Zoro was trying to keep him from having to do anything? That Zoro just wanted to protect him and his friends from the demon world? That was what he was saying, wasn't it? Very easy to understand. And yet, Sanji still seemed to think there was an issue. "For the record," Zoro said, remembering an earlier comment of Sanji's, "I _am_ the island's guardian. It's not nonsense, it's my job."

When Sanji looked at him, he appeared tired and annoyed and like he just wanted to walk away, but he stood there still. The cook only sounded slightly exasperated when he asked, "What does it mean to be 'the island's guardian?'"

oOo

The confusing asshole grinned. He actually grinned, that bastard. Apparently, he had wanted Sanji to ask that question. "A lot of things," Zoro said with little hesitation. "It is my responsibility to keep track of all beings on this island, humans and demons alike, and to make sure that peace is maintained."

"Well, aren't you just doing a bang-up job?" Sanji asked, bitter and sarcastic. He hadn't wanted to be talking to Zoro that long. He could feel his mind being changed, his grudge against Zoro swaying, and he knew he wasn't being controlled. He just believed Zoro. He had known all along that the green-haired man wasn't a liar; he just hadn't accepted until they were alone, face-to-face, with no stubbornness left to cling to.

Zoro frowned deeply and suddenly, his eyes shining a color so different from his usual brown that Sanji had to do a double-take. "I have mentioned, I think, how I've been trying to protect you and how it wasn't my fault," he said, sincere but miffed. "What you all had to endure... that was the most violence that this island has seen in centuries, and no one died. People talk of gang activities, but it's not here. This island, despite its appearance, is one of the safest islands that has ever existed. There had been no serious violent behavior in so long that, when it happened this time, I had forgotten how to handle it."

Sanji tried to interrupt but Zoro plowed right through. "It won't happen again. I was supposed to keep you humans from finding out about demons and I failed in that respect, But since you know now, I don't have to hide. Not from you. Now when the island tells me that you are in trouble, I can tell you and you won't question it; you'll be able to better protect yourself."

He tried to process what Zoro was saying, but after "the island tells me you're in trouble" he was lost. Zoro was just stringing words together. He must have forgotten how to talk-or maybe Sanji forgot how to listen. But it didn't make any sense, in whatever case. "Okay, what? The _island_ tells you we're in trouble...?" Sanji asked, drawing it out with a shrug and a shake of his head.

Zoro paused, then nodded slightly, looking at Sanji like he was retarded. "Y...es?" Zoro answered, as if Sanji should have known.

"How about you just back up a few thousand steps," Sanji said exasperatedly, holding up one hand and rubbing his face with the other. "You got yourself a fuckload of explaining to do." He leveled what was hopefully a more serious than confused stare at Zoro. From the look he got in return, he could tell he had gotten his expression right.

After Zoro had held his stare for a long minute, the green-haired man dropped his eyes briefly and looked back up at Sanji with a very mild, patient expression. Taking into consideration who it was coming from, Sanji felt he had already accomplished something. "Well," Zoro said, rubbing the back of his neck, "where do you want me to start?"

**Ohhhh fuck, I dun it again. xD I left you guys hanging! Next chapter (which I haven't decided if I want to skip over the conversation and have everything known already or detail it out) will contain many answers for you all, much as this one should have. Idk why I dragged it out so much. I'm working on that bit, guys. ;)**

**Anywho... does anyone else feel the impending relationship in their bones? Because I do. And it's a good feeling. A good, torturous, "I'mma drag it out" feeling. Mwahahahahah...**


	32. Vielleicht

**Sorry to everyone who was waiting in suspense for months, but here is your relief! It took me a long time to write this (as you may have noticed) but I'm almost over the part that is difficult for me to write. I really want our boys to delve into some backstory here soon, but we'll just have to see how that goes. ;P**

**Anyway, the title roughly (according to google) translates to "Maybe/Perhaps." that is the best that I have got at the moment, people. Enjoy.**

It was well-past sundown when he finally made it home, every motion stiffened by the harsh chill outside. It was only _almost_ Halloween and the nip in the air was unbearable. Not that Sanji thought he could have gotten home any sooner and been spared the cold, especially with all the revelations he'd had that day. His arms were leaden with information, his mind too preoccupied to make his body move faster.

_"I'm not going to keep anything from you anymore. I know you have questions, so just... ask already," Zoro had said after an utterance that Sanji could not remember making, but which had surely been skeptical._

Sanji went straight in the back door, weaved his way through the busy kitchen, ignoring any and all shouting that may have been directed at him. He just didn't care. The old man was doing the books in his office, Sanji could see through the open door, but if he saw or heard any of the commotion he didn't acknowledge it. That was good, Sanji decided as he eased up the stairs. He had no idea what he would even say to Zeff-provided, of course, that he could ever speak again.

"_How old are you_?" Sanji remembered asking, but he couldn't remember at what point. Maybe in the middle somewhere? He couldn't even recall. Zoro's answer, however, was something he couldn't help but think of.

_"Nine-hundred and two." He'd sounded almost apologetic. "Going on nine-hundred and three. I'm not the oldest; not by a long shot."_

_"How is that even possible?" Sanji remembered asking._

_"I... don't know."_

He was still confused on that point, but he supposed he knew all he needed to know. Demons, as far as Zoro could tell him, were of a completely mysterious existence. He might have been lying, but Sanji didn't think so. Trust was a strange feeling to have for Zoro after everything that had been happening in recent months, but it felt... easy. Like he was always unerringly honest, Sanji just couldn't hear him before.

_"Do... Are there others... I mean, that we know?" Sanji had asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be._

_Zoro had looked away, one of the few signs of hesitation that he'd given. "Yes." Sanji had waited for him to continue without prompting, but he had not._

With a careful shake of his head, Sanji let himself into the apartment and breezed into the living room. He shed his jacket in slow movements, every tender muscle in his body aching even still. The cook dropped his jacket and keys on the couch, internally resigning himself to the lecture he'd get in the morning about leaving his shit everywhere, and he shuffled into the bathroom.

Sanji considered a shower for a minte or two, but he didn't have the energy for all that. Instead, he took a whore's bath in the sink, did all his bathroom business and left his belt on the sink as he re-entered the main area.

_"How are you a demon? You don't look _demonic_," Sanji had questioned, openly scrutinizing Zoro's very human face._

_A dark expression had crossed Zoro's eyes. "It's a long story," he had grunted, scratching a hand through his short grassy hair, "so you should ask any other questions first, before I answer."_

Even now, hours later, Sanji found himself frowning. There had been so many questions, so much discussion that, though he never forgot about it, Sanji didn't get an answer. Zoro had told him that there would be more time another day, but Sanji thought he just didn't want to tell that story. The tense lines of Zoro's frame against the strangely bright forest as he left had been proof enough for Sanji. He wasn't happy, but he wasn't about to drop it either.

The cook made an attempt at looking for food, but he wasn't really that hungry if he thought about it, even though he couldn't remember the last time he ate. He just perused the fridge and cabinets aimlessly, abandoned his shoes in the doorway and disappeared into his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind himself-something that had been vigorously discouraged by Zeff because if the door was locked he'd "know Sanji was up to something"-and started unbuttoning his shirt. It was dirt-and-grass-stained, with odd discoloration and a terrible sweaty fish smell but he just threw it in with his other laundry without another thought.

_"Hold on," Sanji had interrupted, though he could not remember what Zoro had been saying at the moment. "Can I... Is it overstepping to ask who- I mean, if I knew them, the..." There had been no good way to ask, because it seemed to him that Zoro would not answer-and, really, it probably wasn't his place to, if Sanji understood correctly._

_But Zoro had understood anyway. "You want to know who the demons on this island are?" Zoro had asked with a raised eyebrow, more or less hitting the nail on the head._

_Sanji had nodded in confirmation, nervously fiddling with the buttons on one cuff. He glanced at Zoro through a curtain of hair, and what he saw didn't make him feel any better. It was too complex for him, unfitting on Zoro's face._

_"It's not for me to say who," Zoro had said very carefully and with mild annoyance. "But there are two, and one is my friend."_

_Sanji had heard what he wasn't saying like he was shouting it. "And the other one?"_

His slacks ended up in a wad somewhere, probably under the bed, and he dove headlong into what he hoped would be a reprieve from his thoughts, soaking in the comforting chill of his pillow. His brain felt swollen and empty at the same time; too much swirling around his mind, none of it clear or available to him. It was what he imagined amnesia felt like, only he knew everything now, all of it. That thought was a little too intimidating to linger on. Sanji turned over.

The curtains were open, moonlight shining through hazy clouds and filtering blue into his room. His window was closed, but it still bothered him that, while he could barely see as far as the neighboring building, apparently people-and people-shaped non-people-could see him just fine. And kidnap him. And probably spy on all his friends without any of them knowing. _Shit_.

Sanji had left his phone in his jacket, he remembered, but there was a landline in Zeff's room which was closer and lacked a convenient peephole for supernatural beings. He didn't want to move, or to be in Zeff's room, but he needed to call his friends and _why_ hadn't he thought of that sooner? If his knee-jerk reaction of concern had not been so utterly gut-wrenching, he would not have been able to drag himself out of bed with the day/week/month he'd had. But he couldn't remember how long it'd been since he'd last heard from or talked to his friends, so it was pretty goddamn compelling.

The cook stumbled out of his bed and into Zeff's room, which was very close and still somehow too far. He fumbled with the landline, struggled to remember anyone's phone number, then bounced his knee rapidly while he listened to what he hoped was Usopp's phone ring. Three rings. Four. Five. Damn.

On the sixth ring, as he was about to hang up, someone picked up. "Hey, who's this? I don't know this number, Usopp, is it your girlfriend?" Luffy sounded like he was turned away from the phone, not even paying attention to Sanji's shuddering sigh of relief.

"Thank god," Sanji breathed into the phone, shaking so badly he could hardly hold on to it. "Who all is there with you, Luffy?"

"Oh hey, Sanji! It's Sanji Usopp, it's not your girlfriend," Luffy was saying and Sanji could hear Usopp yelling at him in the background. "What's up, Sanji?"

The cook took a steadying breath. Or, well. He tried. "Luffy, listen. Who all is with you?" he asked again, as calmly as he could manage. He knew Usopp was there, of course, but he could hear other things in the background and he still had a lot of numbers to try and remember and it would make it a hell of a lot easier if the girls were hanging out with Luffy and Usopp. In the back of his mind, he found it within himself to be a little miffed that they were hanging out without him.

"Oh, uh... It's just me and Usopp and Nami now. Vivi had a date and Chopper said he had to work. I think he got tired of Nami pinching his cheeks," Luffy told him and Sanji exhaled more air than he thought he'd had in him.

"Hey!" Nami's voice shouted in the background, offended.

Sanji's muscles were tense to the breaking point and he was shaking from head to toe, but he laughed. And then he just kept laughing until Luffy laughed along with him for a few minutes and asked him to come over.

"I can't," he told him, because he couldn't. He wasn't stable enough to leave the room, let alone the house. "But, hey, so that I'm not missing out, why don't you tell me what you guys are doing today?" he suggested and laughed again. He pressed the inner corners of his eyelids tightly with the thumb and index finger of one hand; it didn't stop the moisture from building.

"Aww, it would be so much fun if you came over! Wouldn't it, guys?" Usopp and Nami were talking over each other in the background, but he could hear them say yes. Sanji took a deep breath. "We were going to watch this show about, like, ninja-cats or something. We still are going to watch it, but it would be cool if you watched with us! You haven't hung out with us in forever, Sanji!"

"Sorry," Sanji muttered as Luffy talked over him.

oOo

"Zoro? I know you're here, but it would be a lot easier for me if you just show yourself." Chopper didn't know if that tactic would work since he'd only been dealing with Zoro's emo mood swings for a few decades-but, then again, he'd been dealing with Zoro's emo mood swings for a few _decades_. He could handle this.

"I don't know what happened," the doctor confessed. He sniffed the air around Zoro's shrine for clues and there were only two identifiable scents. "But I know who to ask."

Somewhere nearby, a tree shifted audibly, but he couldn't see where. "Don't talk to him," Zoro said suddenly. "Please."

He still hadn't made his presence known, so Chopper felt like he should honor whatever unspoken plea for solitude Zoro was trying to convey. But not enough to leave. "I won't," he told Zoro, taking a seat in the grass behind Zoro's shrine and looking up at the sky. "I promise."

"Good." Another shifting of foliage and Chopper felt Zoro's aura move farther away. He was always so difficult when he was moody.

Chopper huffed a sigh and folded his legs up. "I won't talk to him, but I would like to know what happened." He didn't want to say it, but he felt like Robin was involved. She had a way of getting under Zoro's skin. "As your friend, I would like you to know that I am concerned. About you." Zoro did not respond. "Not that you are doing anything wrong, because I never bought into that 'stay away from humans' rule. Just because you seem really upset. I just wanted to make sure you aren't working yourself into a century-long depression."

A twig snapped, but Chopper remained still, turning his attention to the sparse clovers in the grass. "I wouldn't do that," Zoro hissed. "I'm the island's guardian. I am _responsible_."

Chopper did not mention that it had happened before. Zoro already knew that. "I know. I was just saying that as an example. I'm worried that you're going to do something you'll regret."

"I would never hurt him!" Zoro roared and his voice made Chopper's brain rattle a little.

"I know," Chopper said again, very calmly. "I didn't say you would." He could feel Zoro's anger all around him and it made him nervous. He wasn't strong enough, physically, to be safe if Zoro was as mentally unhinged as he was acting, but Chopper didn't move. He would be fine. He just had to get to the root of the problem before it got to him. "Did you talk with him? Or did he just stay here for a little while?"

"Why are you changing the subject?" Zoro appeared at the treeline opposite Chopper, many yards away, and he could see the stormy expression on his face. "And being so vague? Did _she_ send you?"

_So this _is_ about Robin_, Chopper thought, glancing down at his hooves. He didn't feel any better for being right. "No. I haven't seen Robin-"-Zoro growled when he said her name, which scared him a little, but he kept going-"in several days. And anyway I wouldn't deliver cryptic messages for her; she likes to do that herself."

"That doesn't mean she didn't send you." Zoro asserted himself across the distance between them and loomed over Chopper. "That witch is crafty and she's good at controlling people. Maybe it doesn't just work on people?"

He had nothing to be afraid of, he knew, because he was there of his own volition. But Zoro was very intimidating. Chopper tried to hold strong. "Zoro, she didn't send me. You can't blame her for everything," Chopper tried, leaning his head back painfully to look Zoro in the eye. "Whatever you have against her, Zoro, I think it's best you let it go."

"How could you say that?" Zoro sounded hurt, but he was using his full demon voice and that made it difficult to see past the rage. "You don't know what she's done!"

The doctor didn't know where he'd gotten the courage to start this particular conversation, but he wasn't feeling it anymore. "N-neither do you," he said, his voice a lot higher than he'd hoped. "Last time I checked, she hadn't actually done anything, you just thought she might."

"You don't know anything!" Zoro bellowed and the screech of scared birds disturbed his echo. Chopper flinched and swallowed nervously, but he didn't back down.

"And neither. Do. You," he said again. He focused as hard as he could-he didn't usually do this, but he needed whatever leverage he could get. Chopper felt his fur prickling and his energy surging and he heard Zoro take a half-step back as he grew into his larger hybrid form. He liked being his normal reindeer self, small and non-threatening, and he didn't mind being a small non-threatening human, either, but this form was too bulky for his liking. However, Zoro took him more seriously when he was two feet taller than Zoro. "She hasn't actually done anything to warrant this," Chopper said with some difficulty. That face was hard to use.

Zoro growled and stepped forward again-he always tried to intimidate Chopper when he had no better argument. "Yes she is! She hurt him, Chopper, and she- she-"

"Didn't actually hurt him. She just wants you to let her live here. That's what you said, right?" Chopper interrupted standing tall but extending his arms to show Zoro that he wasn't going to attack or anything.

"She did, Chopper, you weren't there! You have no idea what she's capable of!" Zoro shouted, but his voice was normal again. Chopper took that as a very good sign.

"I think I do," he told Zoro and chuckled a little eccentrically. "She really scares me, Zoro. And she could be dangerous-"

"She is dangerous," Zoro cut him off, gesturing violently to the world as a whole.

"Let me finish," Chopper reasoned sternly. Zoro didn't look happy, but he shut his mouth. "I'm not saying you should give her what she wants; I know how you feel about giving in." Zoro tried to interrupt again, but Chopper gave him a look and he settled down. "I'm just saying that someone so crafty is better off friend than foe."

Zoro's eyes flashed and he puffed out his chest. "I will never call that woman my friend," he spat.

"I didn't exactly mean literally... What I mean is, it would be better if you get along. If she owed you a favor or something?" Zoro didn't say anything, but his whole demeanor changed quickly. "She would have to obey your terms if you allowed her to live here legally. She knows your group of humans, they like her, but you could make her stay away as part of her contract? They still do those, right?"

The older demon nodded slowly. "They do," he said carefully. "I forgot about that... Can a contract prohibit her from certain places on the island?"

That seemed to defeat the purpose of allowing her access to the island, but Chopper was not her advocate, so he didn't argue. "I think so," he said instead.

"Huh." Zoro bit his lip and his eyes glazed over for a second. "Huh," he said again, looking up at Chopper. "Thanks. That... really helps."

He was a little bit surprised that Zoro changed his tune so quickly but, after a second, he accepted it. "You don't have to sound surprised," Chopper told him, pretending to be offended but so, _so_ relieved that they were past their argument of sorts. He rolled his shoulders and moved fluidly back to his normal self as quickly as possible, and then he smiled at Zoro. He knew he hadn't won the argument, and maybe he didn't really want to, but he'd given Zoro some food for thought, hopefully. "I know you don't like her," he said carefully, "but you should try. At least a little."

Zoro grimaced. Of course he was hesitant, and he had every right to be, but no one benefitted from Zoro growling and spitting at the mention of her name. "Maybe," Zoro said, though the look on his face was hardly accepting.

"Thank you." Chopper had missed his true calling as a mediator; at least, he joked that way to himself for a second. He felt bad even thinking that way, felt an itch to improve a medicinal salve he'd been working on. Zoro would understand, especially since he knew Chopper didn't like conflict, but he couldn't leave just yet so he put off the urge to escape.

Zoro had walked over and plopped down behind his shrine, leaned up against the foundation and closed his eyes before Chopper knew it. Apparently, he thought they were done talking. They weren't.

"Sooo," Chopper said, crossing his hooves behind his back and walking innocently over to stand beside Zoro. "What did you two talk about?"

The older demon didn't even crack an eye. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Awww! Come on, pleeeeaase?" Chopper batted his eyelashes and pushed out his bottom lip, but Zoro wasn't looking. "I really want to know what happened! I coudl feel a lot of demon energy earlier, so I got here as fast as I could."

"Which wasn't very fast. We talked while he was out, you know what happened." Zoro was trying to shut him down, but he wasn't snappish; that meant Chopper had a chance.

Chopper toed the ground. "Yeah," he mumbled, trying to be cute like he knew Zoro was weak to. If Zoro ever learned he did that on purpose, he might be in trouble. "But I want to know what happened with Sanji, here. We talked at the ship about Robin, for a minute, that's all, and you never tell me anything!"

"Not true," Zoro said quickly, glancing sideways at Chopper. "I tell you everything."

"Then why won't you tell me this?" He pouted, sitting down beside Zoro to get a better shot at using his puppy dog face. "Please?"

Zoro was watching him silently, one eyebrow cocked. He waited a long time, but it didn't matter much because Chopper could see his resolve breaking. "You're getting good at this," Zoro grunted, settling lower against his shrine. Chopper grinned at him and Zoro scoffed. "Fine. We talked about a lot of things, alright? And it wasn't... horrible. Not like I thought it would be."

"Were you scared?" Chopper asked, because he had been, a little bit. When they talked shortly after Zoro's confrontation with Robin-before Zoro told him to leave so that Zoro could have time to think-he hadn't seemed anything but angry. However, Chopper could feel and smell all the rumbling aura and the human and he was scared. He didn't know how Zoro would handle things, but he had left. When he got back to Zoro hours later, it seemed he had handled it well.

Zoro looked down at his lap and pursed his lips. "Not exactly," he said, tense. "That's not how I would put it." Zoro stayed quiet for a long while, thinking so loudly that Chopper just let him sit. "He didn't... dig very deep. Just asked basic stuff. There is a lot I haven't told him, but a human can only process so much information at one time."

"Yeah," Chopper agreed pensively. He wondered what things Zoro had told Sanji, but he didn't know how to ask without being too nosy.

"I didn't tell him about you," Zoro said, very loudly for their surroundings. "In case you were wondering."

Chopper smiled. "I wasn't, but thank you."

"I didn't tell him about _her_ either." He was glaring at the grass, hands clenched into fists. "I should have, but he wouldn't believe me."

The doctor didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure that Sanji would believe Robin's guilt, since he seemed to like her so much, but he also wasn't sure that he _wouldn't_ believe her guilt. He had only met Sanji a few times, but he seemed like he was a decent guy. He had already accepted the big truth, as unbelievable as it was, what was one more?

"I don't know," Chopper murmured. "Maybe he would."

**Aaaand, scene. Wonderful, just wonderful, everyone take five! Only, no, it'll be more than that. I'm not sure what there is on the horizon, but I definitely like where this is going. Maybe we'll follow Robin next chapter?**

**Reviews=Love. Just saying. ;)**


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